Russian names but Indian at heart

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Ila Krasny, a five-month-old baby girl, will take quite a few more years to utter her name with clarity, let alone comprehending its significance. Her name carries a profound purpose. It represents her father Akhil's love for Soviet communism and also incorporates Indian culture.For Akhil, a mathematics researcher at University College, Kariavattom, naming his daughter Ila Krasny was a symbol of his affection towards Indian culture and Russian communism. The baby girl's name, which is a mix of Sanskrit word 'ila' and Russian word 'Krasny', means earth and red respectively.Ila was the youngest of the lot at the gathering of Malayali women with Russian names organized by the Russian Cultural Centre here on Sunday to celebrate the International Women's Day. More than 15 women and their family members across the state attended the get together and shared the curious stories about the names that their parents gave them after being inspired by Russian culture, communism and literature.It was the love and respect for Russian cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova which made former government employee Saheer K T to give the second name 'Tereshkova' to his daughter. "I feel very proud with this name as it passes a message about the heights that a woman conquered, which is an inspiration for others. I am an MCom student and even today my teachers who taught me in small classes remember me because of my unique name," said Tereshkova T S.Dr Deepa Thomas has named both of her daughters Natasha and Laura. Her inspiration sprang from the Russian culture that she came to know from her friends who completed their post graduation in medicine from Russia.Dr Pravada, a 60-year-old ophthalmologist and Vaikom native, was the eldest among the attendees.