Babloo #01

Babloo is the nick name I've given for, no, not my pet iguana, but Bay Area Blues. I feel compelled to document all the insane anecdotes that I've heard and sometimes been part of in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Hence, Babloo for Bay Area Blues!

My first entry is a classic that has gone through many versions and has even come back to me from different sources. Now, I am not even sure that the main character even exists.

One of the first things that we have to learn after landing in the U.S. of A is to spell out your name. A Thanikachalam or a Shanmugapriya had a decent below the radar existence back in South India. Here, they have to drag their respective father's name and sometimes their whole native village while spelling out their name. It is especially fun when done over phone. My stint with the NCC helps me a lot here - A as in Alpha, B as in Beta, C as in seevallaperi pandi... you know the drill.

Legend has this one Pappu Kumar who has settled down in the bay area. I have only heard of him.  Never seen him. If I do, I will hug him. I've heard of him from more than one source and I have personally narrated this Pappu Babloo to a few thousand people. So, it must be true.

When confronted with the task of spelling out his name to a telephone operator (it varies from a pizza place to a bank to an official call)  our man was self-sufficient. He takes off with:

Pappu Kumar

P as in Pappu

A as in Appu

P as in Pappu

P as in Pappu

and

U as in Uppu

No one knows if he ever got around to extending this 'ppu' laced piece of genius to the rest of his name.

So, it is to this resourceful alphabet king that I dedicate this blog entry. Pappu... you continue to be an inspiration for filling mundane desi conversations with mirth. If you are for real,  please don't be offended. Idhula enna thappu...