A rose by any other name might smell just as sweet. But would Durga Shakti Nagpal, by any other name, have had the courage to take on the sand mafia demons?
For, research suggests that a given name often has a profound impact on a child and that reverberates well into adulthood. This is so because most given names mean something and people subconsciously internalise it and draw cues to what and how they would become.
Names impact not just the way we think about ourselves; it also influences the way others think of us. Just as a person’s clothing and manner of speaking indicate something about the individual’s character, background, et al, the given name too influences assessment of us by others. Of course, as with the other indicators, this first impression may get dumped as untrue as we get more, tangible inputs from the individual.
But it is true that some names are catchy and attractive while some others create a negative image. Hitler’s surname is often cited as an example to prove this point. The short, powerful word “Hitler” not only identified the man who carried it, but the word turned into a symbol of strength and loyalty to his followers.
The moot point is, if instead the dreaded Fuehrer’s name was Adolf Schicklgruber, would he have received the same level of adulation? (Hitler’s father was born a Schicklgruber but later given the name Hitler by his mother.) Not only is Heil Schicklgruber hard to roll off the tongue, it is also not majestic sounding at all!
Piyush Jindal was aware of the power of the name, right at the age of four!
The astute little fellow figured out that he needed to have a better name than Piyush to endear himself to the people of Louisiana and chose to call himself Bobby!
While the English continue to name their newborns George and Elizabeth (remember the royal newborn!), we in India have retired some of the traditional names in favour of the more crisp ones. Grandfather’s names are now considered too grandfather-ish for the little one to be burdened with for life.
Apparently, parents who give unique names to their children are also burdening the child in a different sort of way. For one, the child might face a lifetime of people asking him or her to spell it, followed by a curious question — “what does that mean?”
At a subtler level, the stress could come with the understanding that the special name is a reflection of the parents’ hope and wish that their ward would become a very special person, quite different from the rest.
But then research also indicates that children do end up meeting parental expectations. Someone with a name that declares him the lord of all men might truly build himself as a strong leader. Whether the powerful name would influence the others to endorse the view remains to be seen!