BIMBI

Bimbi’s from left to right - Lolo Boy, Mybie and Chimbi

Bimbi, Bumba, Mao, Dao, Mabu, Mybie, Chimbi, Chinadu and Lolo Boy. 

When we were growing up my Dad would make up these weird nicknames for all of us. They were like pet names to show affection, or maybe placeholders because he forgot our names. It’s a little unclear. 

I’d love to be able to say that these names were all steeped in a beautiful Sri-Lankan cultural tradition, but I think they mostly came from my Dad being on the spectrum. Sometimes you get Nanette and other times you get Mybie. 

Bimbi is by far the most popular name that’s thrown around our house, often used to describe someone who has done something stupid, but it can also be used endearingly. For example, if you left the lights on in your car and the battery went flat, that’s known as a “classic bimbi move”. But also if you made a cute joke about how your wife’s butt looks great today, then it’s very likely that your cheeks would be pinched lovingly and you would be called a Bimbi. 

My brother was called Chimbi, my sister was also known as Chmybie (later shortened to just Mybie) and I was Lolo Boy. We all got these nicknames growing up, and they used to make us laugh, they still do. My brother loved them the most, since his teen years he has taken on the mantle of the nickname culture. A few years ago, he gave Mum a nickname because after we took an inventory we realised that she didn’t have one. He named her Mao, after the Chairman. At first she hated it, but it was so funny it stuck. 

Now that I think about it, nicknames are a huge part of our family and the wider family we grew up in. And sometimes these weird names stick. Like, I have this Uncle and for 25 years his name as I have known him (and still know him) is Uncle Bubba. Turns out his real name is Frank. I was shook. 

We’re not special because we had silly nicknames, lots of people have nicknames particularly here in Australia. But it is special to be known in that very specific way. It was like when I was a kid, my Dad whenever he and his siblings would catch up they would always greet each other with a friendly “Saget”. I never knew what it meant, nor did I ever get a clear reason as to why they said it. But it meant something really important to them. It was this cheerful greeting, this secret code that they only knew. 

I love being known in a secret way. That to someone else I’m a bimbi, or a bumba or a lolo boy - my cousin Anita has started calling me Lolo Boy, she thinks it’s super funny. And it is! It’s always fun when you include others in the secret. 

Now that I’m married and our families are getting bigger, we’ve started to throw around this idea that maybe we’ll start including it in how we introduce our future kids to each other. Like my sister would be Mabu-Marmie, my brother would be Chimbi-Mama. We even gave my wife a name - she’s Iso-Marmie. Partly because her name is Isabel, and partly because my family really got to know her better during isolation in 2020. 

What we’re really trying to do is recreate the next generation of Uncle Bubba’s to mess with our future nieces and nephews. Apparently it’s a deeply respected cultural tradition.