Kunjhichirutha is an Indian girl now living in New Jersey, USA. She loved watching the street and the cars go by. She felt happy in her new school, but her classmates found her name hard to say. Ms. Hopkins, her teacher, tried her best to say it right. Mr Prakash, the owner of a candy shop was the only one outside her home who could pronounce her name correctly. He said her name correctly, and they spoke in Malayalam. Kunjhichirutha learned he was from a village near her home in Kerala. Later, a new girl, Antoinette, joined her class. Her friends also found her name hard to say. Kunjhichirutha practiced and learned to say it the right way. Antoinette also tried and said Kunjhichirutha’s name well. They became good friends.
ചിലരുടെ പേര് കേൾക്കുമ്പോൾ നമുക്ക് ചിരിവരും. ചിലരുടേത് പറയാൻ നമ്മൾ നന്നായി പണിപ്പെടും. പേരുകളെക്കുറിച്ചുള്ള ഒരു കഥയാണ് നമ്മൾ പഠിക്കാൻ പോകുന്നത്.
അമേരിക്കയിലെ ന്യൂജേഴ്സിയിൽ താമസിക്കുന്ന ഒരു ഇന്ത്യൻ പെൺകുട്ടിയാണ് കുഞ്ഞിച്ചിരുത. തനി മലയാളി. പുതിയ സ്കൂളിൽ അവൾ ഹാപ്പി ആയിരുന്നെങ്കിലും സഹപാഠികൾക്ക് അവളുടെ പേര് പറയാൻ (ഉച്ചരിക്കാൻ) ബുദ്ധിമുട്ടായിരുന്നു. അവളുടെ അദ്ധ്യാപികയായ മിസ്സിസ് ഹോപ്കിൻസിൻ്റെ കാര്യം പറഞ്ഞാൽ മതിയല്ലോ. കുഞ്ഞിച്ചിരുത എന്ന് ശരിയായി ഉച്ചരിക്കാൻ സാധ്യമായതെല്ലാം മിസ്സിസ് ഹോപ്കിൻസ് ചെയ്തെങ്കിലും ഇതുവരെ സാധിച്ചില്ല. ഒരു മിഠായി കടയുടെ ഉടമയായ പ്രകാശിന് മാത്രമാണ് അവളുടെ വീടിന് പുറത്ത് കുഞ്ഞിച്ചിരുതയുടെ പേര് ശരിയായി ഉച്ചരിക്കാൻ സാധിച്ചത്. അദ്ദേഹം അവളുടെ പേര് ശരിയായി ഉച്ചരിക്കുകയും അവർ തമ്മിൽ മലയാളത്തിൽ സംസാരിക്കുകയും ചെയ്തു. കേരളത്തിലെ തൻ്റെ വീടിനടുത്തുള്ള ഒരു ഗ്രാമത്തിൽ നിന്നാണ് അദ്ദേഹം വന്നതെന്ന് കുഞ്ഞിച്ചിരുത മനസ്സിലാക്കി. പിന്നീട്, ഓങ് ത്വാ നെറ്റ് (Antoinette) എന്ന ഒരു ഫ്രഞ്ച് പെൺകുട്ടി അവളുടെ ക്ലാസ്സിൽ പുതിയതായി ചേർന്നു. കുഞ്ഞിച്ചിരുതയുടെ പേരുപോലെ ഓങ് ത്വാ നെറ്റിൻ്റെ പേര് പറയാനും ക്ലാസ്സിൽ എല്ലാവരും വിഷമിച്ചു. എല്ലാവരും അവളുടെ പേര് തെറ്റിച്ചു വിളിച്ചപ്പോൾ കുഞ്ഞിച്ചിരുത അത് ശരിയായി “ഓങ് ത്വാ നെറ്റ്” എന്ന് പറയാൻ പഠിക്കുകയും ചെയ്തു. കുഞ്ഞിച്ചിരുത എന്ന പേര് നന്നായി ഉച്ചരിക്കാൻ ഓങ് ത്വാ നെറ്റും ശ്രമിച്ചു. അവർ നല്ല സുഹൃത്തുക്കളായി.
അപ്പോൾ നിങ്ങളും പഠിച്ചില്ലേ?
- കു KU
- ഞ്ഞി NJHI
- ച്ചി CHI, CHCHI
- രു RU
- ത THA, TA
Letter Writing
1. Letter from Kunjhichirutha to her grandmother in Kerala
12 Maple Street
Edison, New Jersey, USA
March 5, 2025
Dear Ammamma,
I miss you so much! It is still cold here, but spring is coming. The sun sets very early now—before five o’clock! In July, it used to set at eight thirty. I watch cars and people from our gate every evening.
My classmates are nice, but they find my name hard to say. Only Prakash Uncle says it right. He speaks Malayalam too! He reminds me of Muthassan. I told him about our great-grandmother. He was happy to hear.
I made a new friend named Antoinette. She is from France. I helped Amma say her name properly!
Love,
Kunjhichirutha
2. Letter from Prakash to his cousin in Kerala
Prince Candy Store
Near Edison Elementary School
New Jersey, USA
March 10, 2025
Dear Raghavan,
You won’t believe this—I met a little girl named Kunjhichirutha! Yes, that’s her real name. She reminded me of our old days in Kerala. She speaks Malayalam and told me about her great-grandmother who was a teacher.
She comes to my store often. She’s cheerful and smart. Her classmates call me “Mr. Prakash,” but she says “Prakash Uncle.” That made me smile.
It’s still cold here, but spring is near. I hope to visit Kerala next year. I miss our village and the warm sun.
Take care,
Prakash
3. Letter from Antoinette to her cousin in France
14 River Lane
Edison, New Jersey, USA
March 12, 2025
Dear Lucie,
I have a new friend named Kunjhichirutha. Her name is long, but I learned to say it! She is from India. She helped me feel welcome in class. Most students say my name wrong—“an-toy-net”—but she tries to say it the French way.
Her mother couldn’t say my name, so Kunjhichirutha taught her! That was funny. We play together after school sometimes.
It’s still cold here, but the days are getting longer. I hope you are doing well in Marseilles.
Love,
Antoinette
4. Letter from Ms. Hopkins to a fellow teacher
Edison Elementary School
New Jersey, USA
March 15, 2025
Dear Mr. Lee,
I wanted to tell you about a student named Kunjhichirutha. She joined Grade I six months ago. She’s from Kerala, India. Her name is hard to pronounce, but she’s very patient with us.
She’s learning English quickly and is doing well in Math. She’s kind and curious. She recently became friends with Antoinette, a new student from France. They help each other with names and language.
It’s lovely to see such friendships grow. I think we should celebrate name diversity in class soon.
Warm regards,
Ms. Hopkins
5. Letter from Kate to her aunt
10 Maple Street
Edison, New Jersey, USA
March 18, 2025
Dear Aunt Lily,
I saw Kunjhichirutha at the gate again today. She waved at me. I still can’t say her name right! It’s so long and tricky. But she doesn’t get angry. She just smiles.
She’s from India and speaks Malayalam. She told me about her great-grandmother who was a teacher. I think that’s cool.
She’s friends with a new girl named Antoinette. Everyone says her name wrong too! I want to learn how to say both names properly.
Love,
Kate
Conversations
1. Kunjhichirutha and Kate at the gate
- Kate: Hi, Kun-hi-chi-ryoo-tha!
- Kunjhichirutha: Hello, Kate. It’s Kunjhichirutha.
- Kate: Oh no! I said it wrong again.
- Kunjhichirutha: That’s okay. You can try again.
- Kate: Kun… Kunjhi… Kunjhichirutha?
- Kunjhichirutha: Yes! That was much better.
- Kate: Yay! I’ll keep practicing.
- Kunjhichirutha: Thank you. That means a lot to me.
2. Kunjhichirutha and Prakash at the candy store
- Prakash: Hello, dear. What’s your name?
- Kunjhichirutha: Kunjhichirutha.
- Prakash: Kunjhichirutha! What a lovely name.
- Kunjhichirutha: You said it perfectly!
- Prakash: I’m from Kerala too. I know Malayalam.
- Kunjhichirutha: Really? That’s so nice!
- Prakash: Do children still have names like yours?
- Kunjhichirutha: Yes! I’m named after my great-grandmother.
3. Kunjhichirutha and Antoinette in class
- Antoinette: Hello! I’m Antoinette.
- Kunjhichirutha: Hi! I’m Kunjhichirutha.
- Antoinette: Your name is long, but pretty.
- Kunjhichirutha: Yours is hard too! How do I say it?
- Antoinette: It’s “ong-thwa-net.”
- Kunjhichirutha: Ong-thwa-net. Did I say it right?
- Antoinette: Yes! You’re good at this.
- Kunjhichirutha: Let’s help others say our names.
4. Kunjhichirutha and Amma at home
- Amma: What is your new friend’s name?
- Kunjhichirutha: Antoinette.
- Amma: An-toy-net?
- Kunjhichirutha: No, Amma. It’s “ong-thwa-net.”
- Amma: Oh! That’s tricky.
- Kunjhichirutha: I’ll teach you. Say “ong.”
- Amma: Ong.
- Kunjhichirutha: Now “thwa-net.”
- Amma: Thwa-net. Did I get it?
- Kunjhichirutha: Almost! You’re learning fast.
5. Ms. Hopkins and Kunjhichirutha after class
- Ms. Hopkins: You did well in math today.
- Kunjhichirutha: Thank you, Miss Hopkins.
- Ms. Hopkins: I’m still trying to say your name right.
- Kunjhichirutha: It’s Kunjhichirutha.
- Ms. Hopkins: Kunjhi…chirutha?
- Kunjhichirutha: Yes! That’s close.
- Ms. Hopkins: I’ll keep practicing.
- Kunjhichirutha: I’m happy you’re trying.
- Ms. Hopkins: You’re a brave and kind student.
Textual Analysis
Kunjhichirutha stood at the gate, gazing at the street. She loved to look at passing vehicles and pedestrians. It was the end of winter. The air was warming up. But there was still the occasional cold wind. It had been a cold winter in New Jersey. It was only five. But night had fallen. The varying lengths of day and night across seasons had puzzled Kunjhichirutha. When she arrived in July, the sun set only at eight thirty. The day was more than fifteen hours long. Now the sun set a little before five, and the day lasted only a little less than ten hours.
“Kun-hi-chi-ryoo-tha!” Kunjhichirutha was startled. That was Kate, her classmate. She lived just across the street. Oh, not again! Kunjhichirutha said to herself under her breath. When will she learn to pronounce my name right?
This was her sixth month at school. Back in Kerala, she had only learned some English rhymes at play school. But she had picked up English with an amazing speed. Her classmates and teachers were very kind and helpful. She did not feel a stranger at all at the school. Ms. Hopkins who taught Mathematics went out of the way to make her comfortable. The only thing that upset her was the way her classmates pronounced her name. Even Ms. Hopkins found her name difficult to pronounce! She did try, though. She managed to get the last part right. But she still found the first part a tongue twister.
“Hi, Kate”, Kunjhichirutha waved back. Kate was going shopping with her aunt. There were twenty four students in Grade I. Kunjhichirutha was not the only non-American student in her class. In fact, nearly half the students belonged to immigrant families. There were students from Canada, Mexico, Italy, the UAE, Egypt and China. Kunjhichirutha was the only Indian.
Kunjhichirutha had come across many Indians on the streets. She had a pleasant surprise when she met Prakash. Prakash ran a confectionery near her school. Kunjhichirutha thought he looked remarkably like her uncle, Harish. Only Prakash looked a lot older. Almost as old as Muthassan (Grandfather). He had gazed curiously at her, the first time she bought some candy from the store.
All her classmates called him’Mr. Prakash’. Kunjhichirutha thought it rude. Back home in Kerala, she would have called him ‘Prakash Uncle’. The next time she went to the store, Prakash patted her affectionately on her head.
“What do people call you, dear?”
“Kunjhichirutha”.
Prakash’s eyes widened. “Kunjhichirutha!”
Kunjhichirutha was delighted. Prakash Uncle was the first person outside her family to pronounce her name perfectly in New Jersey. She nodded her head and beamed at him.
Prakash suddenly switched over to Malayalam.
“Do children still have names like’ Kunjhichirutha?” he wondered aloud.
Prakash was not the first person to wonder about Kunjhichirutha’s name. She had faced the question several times after she became old enough to talk about it. Of course, she knew very well how she got her name. So she told him about her great grandmother who became a schoolteacher at the age of eighteen. She had only seen a fading photograph of her great grandmother. Kunjhichirutha later learned from Amma (her mother) that Prakash
belonged to a village not far from her town. He had arrived in America almost half a century ago.
A few days before the spring break, a girl named Antoinette took admission in Kunjhichirutha’s class. She was from a city called Marseilles in France. Her mother was working in a multinational company. She was given a new project in New Jersey. So the family had relocated. Antoinette and Kunjhichirutha soon became friends. Kunjhichirutha was amused to find that her classmates and teachers had trouble pronouncing Antoinette’s name too. Most of them pronounced it as ‘an-toy-net’. But Kunjhichirutha learned from Antoinette that the name ought to be pronounced ong- thwa-net’. Kunjhichirutha tried to say it that way. She found to her surprise that she got it right after a few trials. She was equally surprised to find Antoinette pronouncing her name fairly well, especially the ‘nh’.
Antoinette visited Kunjhichirutha at her home a few days later. Kunjhichirutha found to her amusement that Amma (mother) could not say Antoinette’s name right. So she had to become her mother’s language teacher for a moment!
