Crescentia Kalpana David

I am using one of IHM’s blogscars topics "Women’s name change" as a writing prompt. I may be going on a tangent on this topic. So I am not submitting this post for the contest.


The name is Crescentia Kalpana David. Crescentia pronounced as Cres-sen-shi-ya. Crescentia is a Catholic name that is an alternative name of Mary. Like most Indian Catholics my parents wanted an Indian name too and hence Kalpana.

Throughout my academic life I was D. Crescentia Kalpana. Then I joined an MNC and I was asked my last name. So D moved to the end of the name and expanded to David, of course my Dad’s name. I loved the sound of it. There was something about it that sounded good. All the vowel and consonant sounds jived together to make it a happy name.

They say that long names are sexy. Therefore, a very long name should make it super sexy?

Now I am called by all forms of my name-Kalpana, Kalp, Kalpi, Crescentia, Cres, DC, sometimes David too.

I have always been a Daddy’s girl. When I used my father’s initial or his name, I never thought much about it. Yes it is unfair on my mother because I do not use her name. My name is now very much part of my identity.

By the time I got married I was so used to my name that I did not want to change it. A few years back I thought that one day I would be so crazily in love that I would love everything about him. I would be so mad about him that I would add his name to my name. Now, I wonder what I was thinking. Obviously my head was filled with cotton candy.

Dear Patidev, I am willing to do anything for you. Will you ask me of measly little thing such as changing my name? You love me just the way I am and would not want me to change anything about me, not even my name, don’t you? You definitely will not sulk if Benno chooses to use Anton Benno Crescent.