What’s in a name? In South Gujarat, Sonia is a man

Senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi is back in the news, having vacated the party’s traditional stronghold, Rae Bareli, for her son, Rahul Gandhi. This political maneuver has drawn attention to a curious anomaly among Gujarat’s tribal communities of South Gujarat: the prevalence of the name ‘Sonia’ among men.
The name, believed to have been derived from the Greek name ‘Sophia’, which means wisdom, traditionally has a feminine association in several countries.However, the name assumes a unique masculine identity among the tribes, where men have borne the moniker “Soniabhai” for nearly eight decades.
They assert their parents bestowed the name upon them, attributing it to simplicity and its distinctive sound rather than any specific rationale. For Sonia Chaudhary, a resident of Diwan Temrun village in Ahwa, Dang, the significance of his name remains shrouded in mystery. “There are many by this name in Dang. It is a popular name among people in my age group,” says the 65-year-old who has spent his entire life living in the forest and doing farming.
Similarly, Sonia Gamit from Bhadbhuja village in Uchhal area of Tapi district expresses ignorance about the meaning of his name. “Earlier, there were many men by this name. However, this trend is dwindling,” says the 36-year-old.
Dahya Vadhu, a researcher in the Kunkna tribal language, explains the name’s significance: “In a marriage song of the Kunkna tribe, Sonia means valuable like gold. The term is often used to honour esteemed guests.”
He adds, “This name was in use for more than eight decades. I know a few people by this name who are now dead. Sonia Chaudhary of Chankhal village in Dang was a popular folk artist who sang the ‘katha’ (story) in Kunkna.”
Sonia Gavit, a 58-year-old from Murambi village in the Waghai area of Dang, says, “In villages surrounding mine, there are at least seven persons by this name. I was young when I was given this name after my parents consulted a priest.”
Satyakam Joshi, a social scientist and former director of the Centre for Social Studies, unravels the cultural underpinnings behind tribal naming conventions, citing the propensity to draw inspiration from the natural environment. “For example, Rupji is a common name. It probably comes from ‘Rupu’, which means silver in some tribal languages. Similarly, Sonia must have been derived from ‘Sonu’, which means gold. But these names have gone out of fashion now. The tribals have developed a liking for popular names used in urban areas,” he says.