If I Had a New Name
“What is in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet”
These famous words were quoted by Juliet in Shakespeare’s play ‘Romeo and Juliet’.
In India, the age old tradition of naming a child according to the date, time and place of his birth is believed to bring success and good luck to the child in his future life.
Does a name really define who and what we are? If yes, isn’t it pertinent that we ought to have a role to play in deciding such an important part of our personality, our own name? All the same, given a choice, would I like to change my current name? I think not. Irrespective of how becoming it is or whether I like it or not, my name is now a part of me and my existence.
Surely, a new name would make me feel like a different person. But, would it make me more intelligent, funnier or more popular? No. These qualities have nothing to do with my name because they are facets of my personality that are defined by who I am and not what I am called.
This only reiterates what Shakespeare said. Like a rose would smell as sweet even when called by any other name, a name change will not bring about a change in the inherent nature of a person.
