Gopinath MuthukaaD - Pronunciation advice

The second Indian to ever win the prestigious Merlin award is a gentleman by the name of Gopinath MuthukaaD. Though the name doesn't seem to be difficult, it is being mauled in various ways on all channels. So I thought this might help.

Well first let's try and break this name up

Go-pee-naath mutu-kaaD

If you can read Hindi, the name would read like this गोपीनाथ मुतुकाडअ. A small vowel sound at the end would make it better, like a schwa, but you can also read it as मुतुकाड

If you can read Malayalam (you would not be having trouble in the first place :)), the name would read like this

ഗോപിനാഥ് മുതുകാട്

My common bloopers - 3

The recent hike in petroleum products brought back another of my old bloopers and I found it very hard to beat this one. The word 'kerosene' is pronounced in a way that it rhymes with 'scene'. But ever since I was a kid, I pronounced it in a way that it rhymed with 'sin'. Probably it had something to do with the long queues that I stood in, to be able to procure a couple of litres. Well I finally figured out the correct pronunciation and would never err when the word to be pronounced was 'kerosene'. But if the word to be read becomes 'kerosene oil', the original 'sin' invariably returns.

Oh how I struggle to say 'kerosene oil'. It has been 15 years since I last used kerosene for any purpose. But I pray hardest that the price of kerosene does not go up (or down for that matter). I just don't want that word to make it to the news.

My common bloopers - 2

Well while growing up I thought guitar and sitaar were like Seeta and Geeta. And hence that is how I pronounced them too - गितार and सितार. The latter is obviously correct, but the former even more obviously incorrect. For 2 decades now I have known that the 't' sound is an aspirated sound and a hard sound. ट. But alas, even now when I am not careful, the earlier sister of sitaar resurfaces. I am reminded of Dushyant Kumar when he said

ek aadat see ban gaee hai tu

aur aadat kabhee nahee.n jaatii

एक आदत सी बन गई है तू

और आदत कभी नहीं जाती

So if someone were to call me and ask me how 'guitar' is pronounced - every day of the week and twice on Sunday I would give the correct pronunciation. But if the word was inconspicuously hidden away in a two page document and I was asked to read it 2 times out 10, that notorious sister of sitaar will resurface. I am working on it. But then, probably Dushyant Kumar got it right. 

My common bloopers - 1

Well through this blog I have often pointed out the errors made by others. It seems to suggest that I am 'washed in milk'. Well I am not. So I have decided to start this thread too which includes words which I know I pronounce wrong and am very conscious about this word when it comes up, but I still get it wrong on air.

The name of the country Chile is pronounced as chee-lay and rhymes with जी ले or if you remember that Kimi Katkar-Hemant Birje song from Tarzan - jee lay lay jee lay lay.

Anyways, most Indians, including your current interlocutor (uwaan uwaan I want to use this word), pronounce it as Chilli. I wonder why. I am tempted to lay the blame at the door of my geography teachers, but then I have known the correct pronunciation for 5 years now and still end up making the same mistake. What is worse is that when you do get it right, some smug half-baked idiot comes along and says 

"तेरे को चिली बोलना भी नहीं आता. क्या चीले चीले कर रहा था"