Full transcript
0:02if I want to be remembered or my name to
0:04be remembered oh you know for directors
0:06to remember who I am or just for my name
0:09to resonate more I would have to shorten
0:11it because people wouldn't be able to
0:13say my first name properly
0:21my name is dearidge I had some weird
0:23ones because my name is actually spelled
0:25d h e e r a j so the H throws people off
0:29so people are like the hiraj some people
0:32just completely can't say it so they'll
0:34be like durge
0:36I got given the the nickname D from very
0:39early so then when I first joined my
0:42first acting school I put on the name
0:45dearidge alawalia and then for the first
0:48term of acting no one could say my name
0:50none of the teachers could say my name
0:52and none of them could remember my name
0:54either so always I'd be like oh you can
0:56just call me d
0:59it was just a way of me in school
1:01getting people to be able to say my my
1:04first name without them you know choking
1:06basically
1:07I can't remember anyone any any figure
1:10of authority taking the time to
1:12pronounce my name
1:16but I think especially growing up in a
1:18Caucasian background I think being
1:21British was easier
1:22than being Indian so I never really
1:25bat an eyelid about saying that my name
1:28is d
1:38you know first impressions and and
1:40little nuances of behavior really do
1:43like you said it can either cause an
1:45openness and interaction or can cause a
1:47barrier
1:48and I do see that when I introduce
1:50myself as D and they get the name
1:52straight away they almost feel more
1:55comfortable in interacting with me
1:56because they can remember the name oh D
1:58you know blah blah blah whereas it
2:00doesn't say deerage
2:01and it's like what deerage dearidge I
2:05know I know at an instant they they're
2:07not going to remember that name and
2:08because of that there is
2:12a tacit or more subconscious barrier put
2:15up between me and them
2:17and I some part of me feels like I'm
2:21just being a bit pedantic if I insist
2:23that people call me dearidge
2:26I don't know like I feel like it is it
2:28is it's like all right well you know
2:32you can say d Raj if you want that's
2:34okay like or you can call me D like
2:36that's okay like I shouldn't I don't
2:38know if I should if it's if it's
2:41necessary to be like no you have to call
2:43me dearidge
2:47I mean it would be nice if people took
2:49more time
2:50because that that I mean you're trying
2:52to understand me more which is which is
2:54I'm never gonna think that's rude and it
2:56should be a two-way thing of of people
2:58taking the time but to like it's almost
3:00like they just don't have the time to
3:02care like how to
3:04you know to take that extra 10 seconds
3:06to try and pronounce the name
3:11there are drivers that will be like say
3:13my name straight away Uber for deerage
3:15and I there is some sort of feeling more
3:18comfortable
3:20straight away because they can say my
3:22name
3:26because I often think about like my my
3:28kids names and stuff like what I'm going
3:30to event for and I have kids like what
3:31they're going to be called and I always
3:33think about I want to give them a name
3:36that is easily said
3:38easily remember like I want it to be
3:40memorable and I want it not to be
3:42difficult
3:43and I know that someone can easily
3:46oppose that saying you know it's all
3:47about culture and it's all about
3:48embracing your culture and you shouldn't
3:49have to you shouldn't have to filter
3:51yourself for anyone
3:53but I I truly believe in this day and
3:55age it's important to be
3:58it's important to hold on to culture but
4:01when it comes to something like a name
4:02which is your identity I feel like you
4:05can still have that identity and that
4:06cultural background whilst also having a
4:08name that is easy to pronounce
4:23[Music]