The nation-wide interest in O Panneerselvam has caused many amusing stumbles. Much seems to rest on the difficulty in saying/spelling his name. Although perhaps one or two of these missteps have a more serious meaning.
The recent spurt of all-India interest in South India, thanks to the massive political drama by the AIADMK, has generated a small cottage industry of giggles, thanks to the many mistakes, oversights and outright gaffes that those who are unfamiliar with Tamil Nadu have been committing.
Some of these are honest mistakes. The most common one being mistaking Sasikala Pushpa for Vk Sasikala Natarajan. But this is an error that can be excused, as most of the media have done this at one time or the other. Others not so much.
Take this fabulous tweet (undeleted as of February 15, 2017), in which Pravin Togadia sought to wish O Panneerselvam after he became the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, post-Jayalalithaa's death. He said -
New TN CM Shri PannieSelvamji has a tough task ahead to build Tamil Nadu in Jaya ji's dream as she worked so hard for it. Our support to him
Whether or not OPS would appreciate Togadia's support (considering his frequent, and disgusting, hate-filled speeches against Muslims) is up for debate. What is not up for debate is that OPS would probably not appreciate the ruin of his good name.
For the record, Panneerselvam means 'an abundance of rosewater' or a 'wealth of rosewater'. Panneer is rosewater and Selvam means wealth. A sweet name, no doubt.
'Panri' is the formal Tamil word for pig. 'Panni' is how the word is more commonly used. For example, Pannikutty means piglet or small pig. PannieSelvamji, by this translation, basically means 'a wealth of pigs', or very possibly 'wealthy pig'.
It is certain that Togadi had no intention whatsoever of calling O Panneerselvam any names. However, it is a lesson - watch what you say. You never know what it might mean!
