“Because of Liam Neelson”

My name is Liam Jun Gopal Chattergy. While my name was chosen for different reasons, some are more sentimental than others.

Firstly, my surname. Chattergy is of Indian origin, but has been changed throughout time. The first alteration was by the British. For their convenience, they changed my ancestor’s surname, Chattopadhyay to Chatterjee. This was common at the time of the British colonization, and many other surnames among the Brahmin caste were changed. The Chattopadhyay family comes from the Brahmin class, and it is usual for Brahmin to marry other Brahmins. I am not a formal Brahmin because my grandfather’s family forced him to choose between staying a Brahmin or marrying my Filipino grandmother. I still learn of Brahmin culture, and the little signs of intelligence they display. The Brahmin people usually go into professions of higher education, like how my grandparents were professors. One way I remember my grandpa showing his intelligence is by having his pinky nail extra long. The Brahmin logic is that laborers need short nails, to do labor, so having a long pinky nail shows that he doesn't have to work, and has made his career using his intelligence.

From Chatterjee, my grandparents felt that it was too common, and wanted to change it so there won't be confusion, and so changed the spelling of my last name. They changed the spelling from Chatterjee to Chattergy. My surname has not been changed since and stays as Chattergy. Next, my middle names Jun and Gopal were chosen by each side of my family. My mother is Korean and gave me the Korean middle name Jun, which means talented and handsome. The other middle name Gopal was chosen from my dad and grandpa, it is an Indian name. I also believe that Gopal was the name of my great great grandfather, and means cowherd in Indian. The cow is considered to be sacred in Indian culture, and I like to think that since a cowherd protects the cows, I am a protector and guardian of cows.

Lastly, my first name wasn't as meaningful as Gopal or Jun is, and doesn't have the history like Chattergy, but was chosen because my mom likes the actor Liam Neelson. I don't watch many of his movies, but they are usually okay. I like the meanings of my middle names the best, but I like learning of Brahmin culture and my name.