Ignorance is bliss — except for when it comes to my name

October 17, 2019 — by Kavita Sundaram

 Pronouncing my name really shouldn’t be that hard —especially when I repeatedly sound it out and spell it for the same incorrigible audience

After living in the U.S. for over eight years, I’ve noticed that some things will never change, especially the way many people pronounce my name. During that time, I’ve attended the same public schools with virtually the same peers, and somehow people still don’t understand how to say my name. 

Whether its teachers or students, I'm always greeted with the same butchered pronunciations: Caw-vee-taw, Cuh-vee-tuh, Kaaa-vi-tuh or even Kavya — which is a completely different name. At this point, I’ve given up telling people how its pronounced, and honestly, it's scary to think that my best friends or perhaps even my future family will NEVER know how to pronounce my name. 

Signed, 

KUH-vee-thuh

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