NEW DELHI: Taimur Ali Khan Pataudi was trending on Twitter no sooner than he turned 12 hours old.

The baby's grandfather was a sweet prince among cricketers, his grandmother is a symbol of grace who did not shy away from breaking taboos and his mother and father will any day figure among the most recognisable Indians. None of this was the reason that propelled the newborn to the third spot on Twitter tonight.

Taimur trended because he is Taimur.

That the boy was named Taimur was announced by the parents, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Saif Ali Khan, themselves.

In a gracious statement, they said: "We are very pleased to share with you all the wonderful news about the birth of our son: Taimur Ali Khan Pataudi, on December 20, 2016.

"We would like to thank the media for the understanding and support they have given us over the last nine months, and of course especially our fans and well-wishers for their continued affection. Merry Christmas and a happy new year to you all.... With love, Saif and Kareena."

But some trolls swooped down on the choice of the name and remained busy through the day "defending" the "Tagore legacy". Taimur's paternal grandmother is Sharmila Tagore who married Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi.

Rabindranath Tagore's nephew Gaganendranath Tagore was Sharmila's paternal greatgrandfather. Sharmila's maternal grandmother Latika Tagore was the granddaughter of Rabindranath Tagore's brother, Dwijendranath Tagore.

On social media, "From Tagore to Taimur" was a common "lament" as some dug out the history of the 15th century founder of the Timurid Empire in Persia and Central Asia to highlight his military conquests across the region, including the plunder in India.

Taimur is an Arabic word and it means iron. But the critics suggested that the baby was named after "mass-murderer" Taimur the Lame.

Voices of reason were shouted down with counter-questions like how many Germans have named their kids "Hitler".

Some Pakistanis who waded into the debate urged the trolls to ease up as Taimur also means brave. But it did not help, considering that Pakistan is in the process of developing an inter-continental ballistic missile named Taimur.

True to their ilk, the trolls jumped to the conclusion that Kareena did not have much say in the matter. The Twitterati ire was directed at the father and what they referred to as his "mentality''.

-The Telegraph Calcutta