(Photo | PTI)
Quick Take

Quick Take | Not a chapter to open

The Rajasthan government's new campaign to allow changing names to one of the 1500-odd directory exposes a historical rot

Express News Service

The Rajasthan education department has opened an indigestible chapter by launching Sarthak Naam Abhiyan (Meaningful Name Campaign), under which a child given a name deemed awkward or inappropriate would be allowed to change it to one from among 1,500-odd names selected by the government. Education Minister Madan Dilawar explained: “As children grow older, such names sometimes lead to embarrassment and may even affect self-esteem.” One of the names the minister offered as example is ‘Sheru’—which, ironically, is proudly worn by well-known Rajasthani folk musician Sheru Khan. It’s deeply problematic to suggest renaming children, especially in a state where more than 30 percent of the population is made up of Scheduled Castes and Tribes. The move also dials back to the contentious global religious history of insisting on ‘approved’ names. Let’s keep this chapter shut.

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