On reading some of the current postings on goanet about nick-names I thought of sharing my article with fellow-readers.
The Friars & the Boys (Part Five) Nostalgia of Monte de Guirim
NICK-NAMES AT MONTE by Tony Fernandes
Nick-names at Monte. They were funny, hilarious and varied indeed, short and
to the point. Concise. Descriptive. Some were condescending while other were
patronizing. Through my scholastic years they dragged on and on. They were for
some like a stigma. For life. They stuck on us throughout our entire schooling years
and perhaps beyond. They weathered on like permanent labels as we moved higher
from one grade to the next. Some were good, others bad. Some were funny, others
wild - but most of them were unique in their own way and had a particular aural ring or
a peculiar tone to them. A nickname at times was good for some. It made
them popular.
The boys with nicknames took them in stride. Some with offence, others without.
Somewere bold enough to fight them in defiance. Others just ignored them. I
remember my own nickname well. Without doubt one that I resented of course.
“Funny Faces” they called me. And till today I recall how and when it all began.
I was very fond of drawing and improvising cartoons from comic books back then,
and that started it all. I couldn’t challenge the onslaught of one full division of
over thirty students. Initially I did pick a fight or two – but eventually
gave up. Somehow it taught the art of turning a deaf ear. Sometimes,
on one hand I ignored it completely, while on the other hand I secretly
thought of devising a mean name for the name-caller! Too hard to put a stop
to it, I thought. I had studies on my mind too. Fighting back was futile and ineffective.
It was dangerously spreading to other divisions of my class. I thrashed some guys my own size,
but to no avail. At other times I just put up with the bigger bullies. The name
stuck on for years and I finally gave up. Can't fight them, join them!
As time went by, every second student had a nickname. Nicknames increased
as more students enrolled every year. Later, days and years passed by, we grew up,
moved up to higher classes and got more serious about our studies towards the final
years - and it wasn’t a big deal anymore. Everyone called the other by
nickname anyway! And at most times nobody cared.
Today, in retrospect, I wonder how we could have done and lived without
those brilliant nicknames. It was simply plain adolescent fun. School life
would have been totally different without them. Some dared to call others by
nicknames and nicknames alone – calling by a proper name would be improper,
they thought. Probably a few did not. “The Great Nicknames of Monte” I call
them – some of which were of the extremely rarest and innovative. Others could
have been nominated for prize-wiinners for being the most imaginative, of funniest
kind and variety. A nickname described it all – just in a single word.
What probably is unknown how some of those great monikers for a particular
student were initiated, and to whom the coinage would primarily be
attributed to. Were they the creations of just one person? Or did a talented
bunch of name-callers go under-ground and have a under-cover board meeting
during the afternoon recess under the cool shade of the cashew trees before
they set about inventing a descriptive alias for someone else? And then did this
secret organiztion have a secret ballot? Did these master nick-name creators cast
votes on the decided winner?
Although I knew the student who coined my own nickname, and who I clearly
remember to this day, he is still the same – my good old buddy and keeps in touch
though not by my nickname. Others perhaps may be unaware of the inventors
of the students’ aliases of the times gone by.
If we ever attempted to compile a list of such names, my guess is that it
would certainly run into quite a sizable collection to be treasured for
posterity. The ‘Nickname Register” would surely bring back great memories of
a bygone era. Some of the nicknames themselves were legends and so were the
students with sub-titles that stood the test of time. Of course, while
“Archimedes”, and “Elvis” were named after great men, many were named after
regional or global places or territories which the boys hailed from. Others
were aptly applied by what the particular student was good at, or may not
have been in other cases. Fruity names like “Water Melon”, and veggie names
like “Bendo” still come to mind. “Mad Scientist”, “ Monkey-nut” and “Matari”
were quite familiar alternative designations. Others were abstract. Some were
named after earth elements. I remember one student who was nick-named "Varem"
(breeze) simply because he ran and won the 100-metres sprint and the school
marathon.
Above all, the Fathers, Brothers and Teachers were not spared by the
students without being re-christened by their fair share of the fraternity
of the designer nicknames prevailing in those times either. These nick-names
were only mischievously whispered, and meant for amusement to be shared strictly
among themselves. Of course they would never dare call the teachers publicly by a name
other than a respectful ‘Sir’, ‘Father’ or ‘Brother’. One thing I am not sure is how many of them
knew about their own nicknames.
The monikers were creations of the students, by the students, for the students of an institution. Nevertheless, they still were students by any other name - just plain naughty, playful or studious at most times.
I am certain the tradition of nicknames is still carried on up to this day
atop the arboreal surroundings of St. Anthony’s High School, Monte de
Guirim as well as at other institutions. Sometimes we learned about the nicknames
of the boys from other schools when they played at the inter-school football, hockey and
other sports tournaments. "Hey, "GODDEA" - Don't wait. Just shoot. Quick," was not an
common spontaneous piece of advice that could be heard from one of the supportive
spectators.
Tony Fernandes Class of 1964 St. Anthony's High School, Monte de Guirim, Bardez, Goa. Author of: Goa – Memories of My Homeland (Poems, Stories and Pictures)
