The idealists love to quote Shakespeare’s ‘What’s there in the name’ (do not recollect the exact archaic phrasing), but how relevant is this supposedly immortal quote in today’s urban chaos. Today we are all in a rat-race to carve out a niche for our names. It’s the name that gives you power and recognition under the sun. It is not surprising when a 5year old promptly corrects you when you spell her name wrong; such is the dearness of our names we grow up with. Right from couples fighting to get that perfect name for their baby, to the rebellious teen blaming his parents for giving him such a lame name….there seems no truce when it comes to the ‘name’. Its your name that can make your life through high school a living hell, its your name that can help you get a coveted job( your last name i.e.), its your name that can help you get past the door of a crowded pub or even come handy to pickup a girl at the bar….
Mundane reasons apart the concept of one’s name is certainly a double edged dagger because when we hear a name instead of associating it solely with the individual(the prime purpose of the concept of name) we end up associating it to his/her bloddline, religion, caste, creed…the list seems to be never ending. It is man’s this subjective outlook of one’s name that has complicated the whole concept. When we hear the names Ibraham and Arthur we do end up associating it with their religion, tracing back to their nationality and at times even stereotyping. These are the preconceived notions that have given the name the ability to draw borders and even shed blood since time in memorial. What was supposed to be a mere means of identification has numerous societal strings attached with it that can put you at an advantage our make the walk of life a little more difficult. The world would be a better place if we associated the name solely with the individual….without any concern of his lineage, religion or nationality. Each one of us are striding here to carve out our names on the stone in given our lifetimes, so ideally the world should not be biased on the basis of the name he goes by….
Then again what looks impressive on paper barely finds its place in the real world practice. We are humans, and basic instincts are always tough to overcome, but then again there can always be a beginning…. So the next time you meet a person acknowledge him for the individual he is and not what his name conveys….Let him and his conducts define his name and the other way round…then maybe tomorrow would be a better place to live in…
