In a sort of a silly mood & thought I’d share with you guys some of the nicknames people call/have called me over the years:
(01) 
Veronica Lodge / Ronnie - Have no idea why I got stuck with this nick at school, but there you have it. Assure you I am not a spoilt little conceited brat. Am glamour, style, culture and class, all wrapped up in one stunning package though 
(02) 
Trapper - This was around the time M*A*S*H was being aired on TV. We all loved it at school & we each was assigned a character closest to our own personality. My best friend & I were Hawkeye & Trapper respectively, as leaders & pranksters of the gang. The shortest in our group got to be ‘Radar’, the bustiest ‘Hot Lips’ etc. Feel bad for poor N who because no other character was left, got called ‘Klinger’ 
(03) Mala D - This wasn’t widely used (praise God). Got this nick from a very naughty little boy who lived down the street from me about 15 years ago. He found out that Mala D was the name of a contraceptive & shared it with all the boys. Of course at that age it was unbelievably funny that my name sounded so similar. Recently met up with one guy from the group & we were having a drink & catching up when he suddenly goes “Mala D… do you remember??” Yeah, like I could forget. Sigh.
(04)
Princess - This one is used especially to tease me because I have some very minute quirks (eg: I don’t like to eat in open restaurants) which I have Very Good reasons for but I still get rilled at by my ‘friends’. Recently got it tattooed in Chinese on my right arm during my last holiday in Goa
(05) Smiley - There was this one guy who liked me, way back in school & he told his friends “I love her smile”. Unfortunately for me, that was the time the song “I love your smile” by Shanice was on the charts & I had everyone singing it to me when he was around.
The nick Smiley really caught on in college though, when one guy K* started calling me that. He was part of this huge group and soon it pretty much spread.
Subsequently, have had a whole lot of people over a period of time call me this. I’ve even had strangers come upto me & tell me I have a beautiful smile (or something like that) & people in church who I’ve never talked to before come and say to me “It’s so great that you’re always smiling”. And I usually say “Really? Well, I was called ‘Smiley’ the whole of college”
(06) My darling Nana whom I love calls me “Melsy Wells” and “My graaaaaaaaaaaaaand daughter” She has Alzheimer’s now though, so I’m happy even if she recognises me. The nicks always adds a big smile though!
(07) 
Three people I used to know called me Angel, Melodious and Baacha respectively.
(08) 
Laila - Which is actually my second name. People wonder if I’m making a statement with it (many email addresses I use has it in ‘em) about Laila-Majnu & sometimes think I’m kidding about it being my second name. The pic is a Calligraphic Name for Laila, Modern Eastern Kufi Design, ©Mamoun Sakkal 1996
(09) And of course, there are tons of shorts on the actual name - Mello, Melo, Mell, Mel, M.
When it comes to nicks though, I’m very particular. Don’t like anyone I don’t know well calling me by a nick. Get slightly turned off if someone I’ve just met shortens my name, perhaps I don’t like people who don’t really know me to act familiar. Also wouldn’t want someone to call me a nick someone else has coined up (though Veronica Lodge, Princess & Smiley have been used by various groups over the years!)
And I though I sometimes complain & pout when the ones I love call me the nicks they’ve coined for me, I actually love it! I feel like I’m Melody to the world, so there’s something special between me & the person / group that calls me a nick.
Yes, even with the guys who called me Mala D.
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March 29th, 2006 at 2:57 am
hey…those nicks are so cute..
all i got called while growing up was..
1) “chiro” ..which means “a brick” in konkani.
2) Baby elephant
3) Tomato
4) Hardy… (not the hardy boys..more like laurel and hardy !!)
5) and yeah..the eternaL…FATSO !!
so consider urself lucky… !!
March 29th, 2006 at 1:42 pm
Unbelievable, You were around when M*A*S*H first aired on TV, was’nt that in the early 70s.
March 29th, 2006 at 1:43 pm
gr8 post…very different….BTW whenever i read ur name…the first thing which comes to my mind is “melody hey choclatee”…lol…”mala D”…that was hilarious…
March 29th, 2006 at 3:10 pm
hey cute post, that. Veronica Lodge? nope. U r more like Betty
Mala D thing was a cutie. lol
March 29th, 2006 at 3:39 pm
I like Chets better than Chetan ….
March 29th, 2006 at 5:55 pm
@ Mario: It’s unbelievable because it’s not true!! I meant the time it was running here in Bbay India, in the early nineties!
@ Sherriff: Yeah, get that from everyone, especially those I just meet. But mercifully it hasn’t stuck as a nick
@ Aparna: Interesting… why do you think I’m more like Betty?? Hmmm…
@ Chets: ok then!
March 29th, 2006 at 10:57 pm
LOL…
like this post..
based on ur blog.. i’d say Veronica and Princess suit u best
plus.. like Mario’s comment!!
March 30th, 2006 at 12:20 am
but u got a great writing style !!!!
March 30th, 2006 at 4:29 am
Man!! that naughty lil boy reminds me of my tryst as one
Cheers to him!! Long live naughty creativity!! But glad that it didnt stick on to you.
March 30th, 2006 at 12:16 pm
well, i dunno…
maybe coz Ronnie is a hardcore snob and betty is a sweet darling.
March 30th, 2006 at 4:18 pm
The idea behind that Chinese tattoo sounds cool.
And LOL @ the last line.
March 30th, 2006 at 6:53 pm
Yeah like Aparna said Veronica’s more of a snob, where as you’re more of a brat.
“Mala D”
March 30th, 2006 at 10:39 pm
@ Chets: Thx!
@ biju:
I’m glad it didn’t stick too !!
@ Aparna: Awwwww…. thx so much xoxo
@ Jo: Yeah totally loved the tattoo myself
@ Van: Brat?.. Humph… off with his head!
March 31st, 2006 at 7:46 am
hey melody, how have u been?? nice nicks…as far as ive known u thru this blog, i guess ‘princess’ will suit u more than anything else
and yeah Mala D is damn funny!!
btw cooool tattoo!!
March 31st, 2006 at 7:53 pm
My fave is the Ronnie Lodge one
… Spoiled li’l brat, are we? 
Mala D… I’d like to shake the hand of the guy who thought that up
I’m surprised no one nicknamed u Chocolateeeee… that was one of the most popular jingles arnd then…
So… what’s ur favourite among them?
April 1st, 2006 at 2:04 am
Oh boy listen to this, Our School Leader’s name was D. Mala… and you know what we D boys did to her courage and snobishness… poor thing
April 1st, 2006 at 11:01 am
April 1st, 2006 at 11:22 am
Great post…A truly enjoyable read
noojes
April 1st, 2006 at 7:09 pm
@ Melody: naaaaahhhhiiiii…. I just had a hair cut.
April 1st, 2006 at 11:44 pm
@ dev: Ronnie Lodge! That one’s been with me the longest I think! Lots of people would say Melody hai Chocolatee or some part of the jingle but usually only when they first meet me. It never really stuck as a nick
@ biju: Really???!!! Poor thing… I know EXACTLY what she must have felt like… Sigh, you boys really are the pits!!
@ harry: Put yer tongue back in boy!!
@ noojes: Thx dear! How you been? Coming over there right now…
@ Van: Lol… that reminded me of “Nahi nahi, khabi nahi…” one of my fav hindi songs
April 3rd, 2006 at 12:30 am
Hey…hilarious post
…. and a few of Betty’s too
You do have some of Veronica’s traits
Melodious is really sweet
April 3rd, 2006 at 1:17 pm
April 4th, 2006 at 2:14 am
Veronica: Hey comics!
Mala D: We had a guy in class called Dibya Ranjan Malla. He became D Mala, then Mala D. But it didn’t stop there. He eventually became Malady and then Rogi.
April 5th, 2006 at 2:52 am
nice refreshing post, {….} - now, which nick do I use ???
I don’t know if I every had a nick. no one atleast used to call me with a nick, atleast in front of me
hahaha.
April 8th, 2006 at 11:26 pm
Hi Melody. Yup! I’m feeling Great
….those 5 days at Hinduja were kinda crazy .. I’m so happy its all over . Praise the LORD.
April 11th, 2006 at 8:40 am
@ Arjun: So what did they call ya behind yer back??! HMM!
@ Andrew:
Good to know
June 23rd, 2006 at 6:12 pm
Generally cute nicks.
Here’s what I got stuck with growing up.
1. Oginni - the name of someone who was slow, ‘cos it used to take me a whole day to finish one meal.
2. DeeJay - ‘cos I’ve got a li’l ol’ stutter going on
3. Current - ‘cos I was a li’l hot with the ladies in high school
- not trying to blow my own trumpet, but then again, if I don’t who will.
and finally
4. Luminus - first given to me by a friend whose last name *was* bright, was because she’s now married. It’s deeply siritual and it’s an acronym for “Lighting Up Men, Illuminating Nations Under the Sun”, which I beleive is my life’s purpose.
August 11th, 2006 at 11:41 am
March 8th, 2008 at 1:35 am
I think those who hear your second name and say ‘Laila Majnu’ watch too many (second rate) Bollywood films. I am curious if anyone has brought up Aliph Laila (The Thousand Nights or Arabian Nights as most Indians know it)? _That_ would have been a serious literary reference!