Channi, Pappi, Rinku, Tinu, Bittu, Babbu, Bobby—cutting across party lines, regions and caste segments, catchy aliases are in the Lok Sabha fray from Punjab. Whether as a pet name given by the family or as a nickname coined by a peer group, having an alternative name is common practice in this border state. In the past decade, however, these endearing names, once confined to intimate circles, have made their way into political campaign material and even election affidavits and on electronic voting machines.
In Punjab, parallel cultures exist when it comes to surnames—some pick village names, others use the names of their castes or subcastes, while rural Dalits at times adopt the surname of big landowners. But in the Doaba region, Dalit Sikhs have started embracing their nicknames, discarding traditional…
