Hailing from traditional hindu families, we were expected to call our son by a name of God. Even we had nothing against it. We tried. We just couldnt find one that will suit him. We just wanted a simple and easy name that can be understood by all the people he will come accross living in a multi cultutal existence like UAE.
The moment I give my kid's name, the first question i hear is are you a muslim? I say no. Are you a christian? I say no again. Then you are a hindu? I say yes. Then why did you give him a Muslim/ Christian name? I say a name is a name. How can you attribute religion to a name.
The first time the word Rayan struck my mind was when I went to the Grand mosque for the first time. I was so surprised by it's grandeur and elegance, i was so keen to take in all the details. When we reached the entrance of the mosque i saw a beautiful depcition of wild flowers in white marble covering the whole entrance. Then the guide said. This is to represent Al Rayaan the Gateway to heaven. I went there with my husband on our wedding anniversary. Al Rayaan stayed with me since. When we were searching for names for our child my husband said There is Raayan - which means Lord Maha Vishnu. I googled and also say Ryan which is an irish name which means Little king.
I just loved the universality of the name and decided to go with it
Rayaan - Gateway to heaven
Raayan - Lord Maha vishnu
Ryan - Little king
We finally settled on Rayan - Simple and uncomplicated.
