Name Blames

My name is Rashmi Ranjan Nayak. Of all the names available in the Oriya pantheon my parents had to choose this one. Now after spending 22 years of my troubled existence with this name stamped on me, I have reconciled with the fact that my name will always sound feminine.
Yes, of all my petty woes this not the least. I still cringe when I see the ludicrous looks on an acquaintance from another state when he hears of my name. I can feel the perplexed mirth rising in him. I also remember some of my certificates being christened as Miss Rashmi Ranjan Nayak. Asinine and visually impaired, the fools couldn't probably place the Ranjan part of my name. But I am not speaking of assholes now. The most mortifying moment arises when you have a girl in your company named Rashmi.At those junctures of life, you just wish you were any commonplace Anil, Rahul, Rajesh, Sunil or whatever but this.
I feel happy when I meet some of my namesakes(mind you male ones). I feel an undercurrent of empathy and solidarity with them. In the days when Orkut was becoming a rage and your social standing was measured directly proportional to the number of scraps and fans, I used to be a member of a community named "My name is Rashmi". Anyways I left this community on realising that a majority of the members were girls.
I once tried to delve deeper into this morbid fascination of naming boys with feminine names. Examples abound from my own name to Jyoti which can be juxtaposed with Prakash or Ranjan. Then you have Debi. I have known Debidutts, Debi Prasannas to Debi Prasads. Nishis, Laxmis and Deeptis are also common in Oriya households. But my name takes the cake in sounding most feminine.
Every feminine first name is accompanied with a feeble masculine middle name. Well the truth is in this modern world obsessed with acronyms and short forms the middle name is generally lost. When the English language is itself under threat, what chance do our petty names stand.
And the reason behind this antiquated custom. Apparently Oriya people are of the opinion that men with feminine names have lady luck shining upon them. Yeah the shine is almost a glare and I am blinded by it.

P.S. I think I know why I am blinded. Etymology suggests Rashmi means the sun's rays and Rashmi Ranjan is the sun itself. LOL