श्रीया बवेजा। Shriya Baweja।

The crux of my master identity indubitably rests in the title of this post, which also coincidentally happens to be my name. Having identified by Shriya Baweja for the past sixteen years of my existence, I am mightily convinced that this is the name I will be sticking to for the rest of time.

So let's break it all down.

The roots of the name Shriya can be traced back to it's Sanskrit origin. Sanskrit was essentially the principal language of Hinduism and is today eminently associated with the literary works in the sacred Hindu texts. Accordingly, in Sanskrit, the name Shriya has a range of denotations including— fortune, auspicious, talent and accomplishment. Ipso facto, Shriya is also considered another name of Goddess Lakshmi— the Hindu Goddess of wealth and prosperity. Therefore, it is safe to say that the name Shriya is very much intertwined with elements of Hinduism.

While the preceding paragraph may make it seem like Shriya, due to it's Sanskrit significance, is a rather common name in Hindu societies, that could not be farther from the truth. The fundamental reason for this is the fact that the name Shreya is deemed as the customary translation of the original Sanskrit term. However, the nuances of Sanskrit are such that despite sounding similar, both names accent different qualities. Consequently, Shriya is a very unique name in my culture. The number of birthday cards I have received with the name Shreya printed on the front? I lost count several years ago. My last name, Baweja, does not really hold much significance in terms of the literal meaning of the name. However, the Sanskrit-derived name has emerged to imply family, warmth and harmony.

To me, my first name—Shriya— connotes several powerful aspects as mentioned. Subsequently, the name also drives me to live up to it's significance. I constantly strive for accomplishment in what I put my mind to and I would like to believe that this trait is emanated from the aura of my name.

Thank you for reading!