What's In A Name

The title to the post sounds very clichéd, agreed. I got the idea of writing on this topic while we're discussing different names for my cousin's baby boy - the latest entrant to our family :-) I believe one's name is one's Identity. It is the sound that catches your ear when you are in a crowd - even though you might end up realizing that what you just heard merely 'sounded' like your name but was actually not. A lot of people have been obsessed with names - their names or the 'concept of name'. In fact, in this endeavor of ours we came across an organization (if I could call it that) on the Internet that offers an analysis of your first name - and even offers 'services' of name-change for a fee! According to them: "Every alphabet has a consistent mathematical order, which allows it to be measured. An analysis of the letters in your name will determine the qualities of your personality. Your name determines your every experience. It defines your personal strengths and weaknesses - both mentally and physically (sic). It interprets your whole nature. It shows your position in life and your measure of success or failure. When you are named your destiny is created." Now while I do believe that having a catchy or 'good-sounding' name can have an impact, I have noticed that people with 'uncommon' names usually get noticed very quickly. For instance, names like Writankar, Shauryaman, Wainateya :-O - the names themselves command attention in a group. I’m sure more often that not, people with uncommon AND hard-to-pronounce names would find themselves in a situation where they’d have to repeat their name to the listener and instantly this translates into the former occupying more of the latter’s mind-space! No Wonder Ekta Kapoor spells out the names of her Soaps with 2 K's, 3 G's and what not! Astrological reasons aside, it is about mind-space! It is about the casual observer noticing weird spelling, perhaps! Who knows? The effect is, in my opinion, temporary. It is your experiences, your interactions and your thoughts which ultimately mould your individuality. So what the 'observer' finally concludes about you will depend on more than just your name. Moreover, it will depend on factors that have nothing to do with it! As Mr. Shakespeare puts it - "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."