BINU

Binu is a common given name for boys in Kerala state in south western India and occasionally is
used for girls. The name was popular in 1970s.

Binu is also a short form of Binyamin, a Aramiac, Hebrew, Syriac, Arabic name. The Latin name
Benjamin is derived from Binyamin.

Binu is also a Chinese name that has been in use for thousands of years. Binu is the name of the
lead character of the book "Binu and the Great Wall", written by Su Tong.

In Sardinian, binu means "wine".[1]

Binu is a place in Langa Langa Lagoon near Laulasi Island in Malaita, Solomon Islands. Around
1900 the Blackbirding ship Minota was captured by headhunters and her Captain (Mackenzie)
decapitated and eaten [1].

According to The Free Dictionary, the acronym "BINU" stands for "Baby I Need You". It is used in
text messages for that purpose.

Several religious leaders of the Syrian Christians in Kerala have the name, Binyamin. Several of
the Syrian Christian/Syrian Malabar Nasrani parents in Kerala, India perform the
Mamodisa(Hebrew-Syriac and Malayalam term for Christening) of their children in the
Manjanikkara Dayara. One of the entombed bishop in Manjanikkara is Binyamin. He came from
Syria and passed away in service in Manjanikkara in 16th century. They name their boys after
him with names such as "Binu", "Benny", Benoy, Binoy(Ben-oni original name of Binyamin).
Binyamin is pronounced as in "Be-new-min" in Hebrew & Syriac. So the real pronunciation is
"Benew", but in Malayalam it is commonly pronounced as in "Beenoo" with short vowel sounds.
Binyamin(known by his latin name Benjamin outside Israel) is the first name of the ninth and
current Israel Prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. His short name is 'Bibi', which is also a
common name in Kerala. Other person who is commonly in the news with the name is the
Binyamin Appelbaum, a reporter for the New York Times. Binyam is the Ethyopian version of this
name. Many of these variations point to the name in Torah or Old Testament of Bible.
Binyamin/Benjamin was the second son of Yaakov/Jacob and Rachel, and the twelfth and
youngest son of Yaakov/Jacob overall.
People in Kerala are popularly known by their first name alone. That was the practice in most of
southern India. First names were usually long and reliogious. Most had a popular short name
derived from the first name. Names in Kerala underwent a revolution in Kerala during the 60s and
70s. Many Parents wanted their children to have religious-neutral popular short names in a state
with many religions practiced in harmony. Most parents were educated in English by that time. So
they invented names with two sounds in Malayalam starting with English alphabets. Anu, Binu,
Cinu, Dinu, Finu, Ginu, Jinu, Linu, Minu, Rinu, Sinu, Tinu, Vinu, Winu, Zinu were common names
given to children in Kerala of all religions and no-religion during that time. The missing alphabets
I, K, N, O, P, Q, X, Y in the list did not make it as they did not rhyme in Malayalam. Many of the
people with first name "Binu", got their name in this period for this reason as well. Hindus,
Muslims, Christians and non-religious have the first name Binu. Kerala also started a practice of
using the first name of the head of the household as the last name of the spouse and children, as
the use of last name was not very common in the olden days. Hence the last name "Binu" started
appearing in Kerala since 1980s.

Binu is also a modified or evolutionary form of the name Vinod, or Vinodam, which means happy
or merry in Sanskrit. Vinod and its short form Vinu is a common first name in India. Thus the
meaning of the name Binu can be attributed to 'merry man'. Sanskrit is an Indo-Europian
language. The root word Vinodam(merry in Sanskrit and Indic languages), Vinum (wine, the
merry making substance, in Latin), Vino(wine in Italian, Spanish and many Slavic languages),
binu(wine in sardinian), Wine in English are linked.

"binu" is also a literary word used in bhakti traditions by famous Hindi poets Surdas and Tulsidas,
in their poems. "Jaane binu na hoi partiti, Binu partiti hoi nahin priti." - Surdas