the dynamics of having a swedish middle-name

Bjorn- say it like beyond but without the 'd'

Cut to 1976. The Wimbledon Gentlemen's Singles Finals is in full swing as Bjorn Borg beats the wily Romanian Ilie Nastase in 3 sets. 'A new star is B(j)orn' screams a newspaper the next day. Accolades deluge the 'Iceman' ( he never lost his temper on court and was said to have a pulse rate constantly in the 30s!) and miles and miles away a fan is born of the great man, somewhere in Chandigrah, India. This fan goes on to have a son in 1981 and decides that he must be named after the master and thus yours truly has an exotic, swedish middle-name! Borg didn't stop at 1976. He came back in 1977 and repeated Wimbledon. Realising this was child's play(!) he marched on to 3 more victories '78-'80. Thus, becoming the only man ever to have 5 wimbys in a row. My dad, was an anaesthesiologist and had another Bjorn hero. A doctor called Bjorn Ipsen, whose work in the field of mech ventilators saved many lives in Copenhagen(not sure of the details). So, there I was with an unpronouncable middle-name in my arsenal and ready to take on the world (yeah sure)

The following are the various versions/mutilations my beloved middle-name received over the years,

Bon-Bon - from my kindergarten teacher....loved this nick...she still calls me this

Beejorn - very common...usually by new school teachers, overeager to make a performance out of attendance

Bajorn - like the previous one...variety is the spice of attendance too

Beejahoran - I don't even wanna start,luckily this was a one-off in some hall ticket

B. Jain - How innovative!Wonder what they thought the new 'B' stood for


Also, there are two distinct reactions I get to the discovery of the 'Bjorn' in my name. One is absolute surprise mixed with amusement and a barrage of queries. The other, is just indifference, almost like its the commonest middle-name in Asia! When something looks dicey (middle-names have been known to carry out savage attacks) people generally try to avoid it like it never exists. So some people won't go anywhere near 'Bjorn' even with a 9-foot barge pole.I also told a girl once that I was a 4th generation Swede who was forcibly brought to India from Sweden!! (heh heh - my cheap humor)

And finally, some other famous Bjorns I've come across

from the band 'ABBA' - one of the Bs is a Bjorn
the singer Bjork - ok ok..there's a point mutation..but I'm keeping it
pro- golfer Thomas Bjorn - stop rolling your eyes..lol

if you find more....lemme know..I'll buy you some candy

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