Baljinder Singh came to Australia in 1986 to find his grandfather Mr Mehnga Singh. Singh had to make strenuous efforts to find the whereabouts of his grandfather as there was no Mehnga Singh.
Mehnga Singh had become Charles Singh. He had changed his name in Australia as he became known as 'Indian Charlie' among his friends.
It was the 1930s. Australians were not familiar with Indian names and many people left or modified their Indian names to integrate with society here. Baljinder Singh followed the suit and became Bill.
“When I was new here, Australians used to tell me that my name is too long for them," Baljinder Singh tells SBS Hindi. "Some started calling me Bill instead - and gradually it became my name."
Baljinder Singh aka Bill Singh Source: Vivek Asri/SBS
"When in Rome do as Romans do."
It was not a deliberate decision for Baljinder to become Bill but it was for Anuraj Chhabra who became Rog.
A young entrepreneur, Rog says, "I arrived in Australia as a student and started searching for jobs."
"I did not get a very positive response from the employers.
"I had heard that names make a difference to employers so I decided to give it a shot.
"I started applying as Rog Chhabra and the difference was stark.
"They ask what’s in the name, I would say, a lot."
It was not that simple, though. Anuraj’s father had named him with love and was a bit disappointed when he left his given name for an English one.
Rog Chhabra (Right) with his father Source: Supplied
"I understand his feelings but my father is a very reasonable and practical person," says Rog. "He understands my circumstances too."
"So, when I told him about my decision to change name, he agreed."
For Ankur Jalvi this decision was taken by his grandparents.
He arrived in Australia as a child and soon his parents realised that he would need a different name to integrate.
Ankur, who runs in his own business in Melbourne, says, “My grandparents changed my name to Jayden and I am Jayden Ankur Jalvi.”
Many Indians change names in Australia for different reasons. Zaheer becomes Jack and Manoj calls himself Jon.
I can understand this because some Australians have started calling me Vik instead of Vivek.
Do you have an 'Aussie' name too?
