Via Arun at Pseudo Secular Leftist Cabal SAJA, news of the Houston Zoo’s online poll to name the handsome critter pictured here, a baby elephant whose birth weight was a prodigious 384 lbs. Here are the choices, with the explanation for each name as provided by the zoo:
* Colossus (HeÂ’s big!)
* Guinness (Because he’s a record holder – the largest baby elephant birth on record)
* Sundar (In Hindu/India it means “attractive.”)
* Janu (In Hindu/India it means “soul” or “life force.”)
* Mac (Did we say heÂ’s big? Like the truck!)
Now I have some concerns here. First of all, are we sure this is not an African elephant? The zoo does not clarify this point. Otherwise he should be named something cool in African, not in Hindu/Indian. Secondly, even if he is an Asian elephant, how do we know he is not South Asian? Or desi? After all, he is second-generation or at least 1.5. And why is SAJA taking up this cause, anyway? Is it because they don’t like Hindus? Are they ashamed of India? And if the baby was born at 354 lbs, how big are his saffron balls?
Many important issues of representation and identity here affecting both humans and pachyderms. I call on Abhi to investigate this matter as an urgent priority as soon as he opens the Sepia Mutiny Houston bureau.
UPDATE: The zoo has corrected its terminology from Hindu to Hindi. Another glorious people’s victory! The bandh is called off!
Sadly the photograph points to African genes. The shape and size of the ears compared the actual head and as someone mentioned above, the twin fingers at the tip of the trunk tells me that he’d love Mombasa more than Mumbai. But who cares, we can still adopt him and make him an honorary Mutineer and give him a cool multi-syllable desi name like “Periyakaruppan” (which is Tamil and can be roughly translated into English as Big Blackie” which is what he is going to be in a few years)!
That was an excellent article. Thanks!
Siddhartha,
Sundar (In Hindu/India it means “attractive.”) Janu (In Hindu/India it means “soul” or “life force.”)
This tells you that SAJA-type folks are out of lunch. Both are more so common Urdu/ Hindi/ North Indian/ Pakistani words. Is Hindu a language? I guess for SAJA.
Here, I present to you Janu Janwar from Pakistan, and a city Sundar in Pakistan. Even in Lahore, they have Sundar Industrial Complex.
Therefore, Sundar and Janu are very South Asian* names, so to speak. Nothing Hindu here.
SAJA Zindabad, Zindabad.
I vote for Janu. That is a beautiful name.
Correction: I stand corrected. I guess SAJA folks are making fun of Houston Zoo.
Therefore, Houston Zoo Zindabad, Zindabad.
hairy D:
deltoids are between your shoulders and neck. Surely you don’t want a sista who can military-press a Toyota.
i think i tapped into a painful experience. it was not intended so i am sorry if i hurt you or anyone else on the board.
as an ex-swimmer who once -sigh- sported a butterfly on the back.. i think you have no idea what a turn-on obscure muscle groups are to me … 🙂 wait till i start discussing the iliotibial band.
all that junk inside that trunk….
i couldnt help myself…
sigh sometimes, i wish i spoke hindu…
hairy D: I bow to you 😉 start talking iliopsoas, as they’ll shut down the thread…
how about “macacca”
hairy_d…we need an anatomy showdown.. of the trunk kind of course… in ode to the fuzzy dumbo above ;).
Ex-swimmer? EX-SWIMMER?? Soccer players, swimmers…oh, the hotness. Cannot bear the hotness.
“wait till i start discussing the iliotibial band.”
Am I strange if I say that I like the inguinal ligament? Yes, I think I am.
How about Gajraj?
sigh… vair vere this bevy of beauties vehn i still had it together. now i’m just a dahi eating pindoo who’s desperately seeking a desi date to take to the RK Narayan tribute . – hint hint – 😉
Thank you so much for posting this. I took my nephew to see the baby elephant last week and he is even cuter in person. He was very playful and kept wanting to interact with the visitors. The mama would then take him back to the pen area. When she wasn’t looking, the baby would run back to look at the visitors.
Oh gosh no dont apologize. I half read your comment and then read it all wrong!! I need to stop visiting SM after 4:00 but we all need our fix. I gots bit butts and I like chicks with big butts.
Pictures please. Hairier the better.
How about Haathi? 🙂
Cute is overrated. Its a plot by Alien Overlords to prepare us for eventual annihilation.
Here is how you can identify their nefarious plots – First they take something with a round face and put two large forward facing eyes.Ref: Then they put some fuzzy hair on it.Ref:
Dont swallow the bait, be strong and resist the invasion.
OOOOOOOHHHHHHHH baby elephant! How cute! I want one!
If you could only see how hard I’m laughing….
Swimmer with a butterfly on the back!! Tell me you also were a butterflyer. See, the breaststroke has that giggle-inducing name, but it’s the flyer who has perfected the hip action.
Why all this talk about Hindi names for elephants? Shouldn’t they have Assamese/Mallu/Dig names?….although there are some elephants in Hindi land too.
Haathi mere saathi 🙂
sigh. i heart dahi-eating pindoos. the single ex-swimmers/soccer players are NEVER in dc… 😉
How about a brown lobbyist/political hack?
sold. i need a date for tomorrow night. 😉
arrey machang… nothing to the ‘fly – but the days are long gone when y’all would want to see me do the shrugs and shakes in a red and black speedo. and anna dear – i may just have to prove you wrong one of these days 😉
NOW that the gates have been opened by her ladyship herself… did everyone miss this plea.
pure netvurking for the first two hours yaar – and then chill out at the movie. and i’m not as hairy as the name suggests – like … uh… i dont need ot shave my back or anything – are we charmed yet, eh?
Oh. I wasn’t referring to me. I’m not a lobbyist/political hack. Besides, I don’t dig girls who visit porn sites 😉
1) I never assumed you were referring to yourself. After all, we’re brown. We matchmake. We can’t help it. 🙂
2) Forget visiting pr0n sites, I usually get more revulsion from the fact that I’m a huge fan of the New York Post.
3) I may not need a lobbyist/hack after all; I just realized that requested dress for tomorrow’s event is “Indian/Indo-Western” and I haven’t unpacked my saris yet. I hate moving.
Roger.
I never knew what Indo-Western was until I came upon this site.
Speaking of the Post, you might be interested in this about subtle and not-so-subtle politicking between its lines.
Over and out.
link #1 went wonky. Fixed.
: * Guinness (Because he’s a record holder – the largest baby elephant birth on record)
my votes:
Siddhartha, don’t you feel quenched that you got a dose of SpoorLam? I know I do.
Breaking News. He’s not Janu or Sundar. Say hello to Mac.