We're known by our names. Thats why it is said, a Politician commits suicide when he forgets the names of his voters.
Name is such important to us.
We simply love our names.
But sometimes these names can be a cause of grave concern to us.
Give a dog a bad name and you kill him. This ago old English adage is equal to human being too.
Most of the Indian would nod their heads in ignorance if they're asked whether they know Mohondas Karamchand Gandhi. And the same person would touch his forhead with folded hands in reverence when he's asked about his knowledge about Bapuji Mahatma Gandhi! Mohondas Karamchand Gandhi and Bapuji Mahatma Gandhi are one and the same person.
Here lies the magic in names.
Marilyn Monroe, just the utterance of this name, still rings bells in many a heart who're in their 60s. Even today's guys are also very much interested to know about her. Otherwise how the articles, which one she used, could fetch so much money in auction? But ask about Norma-Jean and they'd counteract, who's she?
We're given name after we're born. Its something like a number tag which signifies our identity. Later products are even named after individual's names. Teddy bear is named after US President Roosevelt. Butterfly moustache is identical with Hitler. Names of famous persons are used to identify places, buildings, roads, ports, airports, toys, dresses and what not?
Many a artists and film stars have assumed names by not using their birth or christened names after they've been famous.
Dilips Kumar, the thespian of Indian movie and film industry, has always been known to the whole of the world by this name. But his original name is Yusuf Khan. This trend can be found in the movie industries, the world around.
Names, like our palms and horoscopes, have always been a subject of much research and improvizations by the numerologists. They try to convince people that their names gives them certain numerical single digit number or a series of numbers for various aspect of their life, eg. Life number, Heart number, Divine number, etc. They're even claiming that on the event of something weak or unfavourable factors are found in one's birth name they can rectify the bad effects by changing the spelling on the name. Karina becomes Kareina and so many funny spellings are seen all around.
One TV series producer in India is a superistitious woman and she believes in all these matter so much that she's obsessed with the word "K". She names her new series and movies starting with the word "K"! Don't know how these "K"s come to her "reskue" but the movies she produces are super flops. May be she had not used "K" as has been intended by her audience.
It'd really a matter of surprise if she still consults with all those Astrologers, Numerologists and fore-tellers.
Sometimes names are evolved by people around. They twist a name and utter it with utmost negligence, hatred, disgrace or denouncement.
The notorious criminal of the locality who has lost his fingers, legs or eyes in an encounter is easily identified by the locals as, finger-cut, legless, one-eyes, so on and so forth.
Now a days a new problem has cropped up in India and names are very much in danger of losing its identity. In the Election Commission Identity Care, which is generally known as "Voters' Identity Card" there're some blatant and horrible mistakes. Names are completely changed and misspelt in those cards. And the holder of this kind of a erroneous card is in much trouble. Bank accounts can't be opened, their wards couldn't be admitted in Schools as an erroneous name would be recorded as the father's name of the kid.
So what to do? Run to the Notary Public. Swear an affidavit stating that the name given in the ID Card and that of the man with his birth name are one and the same man.
Knock the door of the local authorities, fill an application form for correction of the name, supported by cogent proof, the affidavit and a ceritiface from a local people's representative.
A date for hearing would be fixed and then in official documents the name would be corrected.
The problem is not still over. Necessary changes has to be done in the Identity Card. It requires paying of a fees, getting the photograph taken by the authority at their given date and time.
After all these formalities are completed then the person would be asked to visit them after 2/3 weeks for taking deliver of the corrected ID Card.
Parents choose names for their children and they think that the name would be out standing and unique. In this endeavour they name their children which is a total mismatch or becomes a matter of great ridicule when the child grows up. There's a Bengali proverb about this mismatch of name, and I can't resist the temptation of quoting it here. "KANA CHHELER NAAM PADMA LOCHON" it means that the boy is named as "Lotus Eyed" when in fact he's a blind.
Now coming to the evolution of my name and how it became from a simple Asadul Islam to Lawyer Asad!
My birth name was given by one of my grand fathers. He was a vastly learned and wise man. As I was the eldest of children so he named me as Asadul Islam or Lion of Islam. Asad in Arabic means Lion or Tiger. But everyone knows I don't come anywhere near those Big Cats to save the honour and dignity of the religion Islam.
Almost three years ago when I was opening my account with the facebook I had typed my name. But for some reasons my name was not being accepted and my account was not being created. May be there were quite a few Asadul Islam already in facebook before me so the facebook administration didn't want any more of my names to confuse the data bank of their computers. It happened for more than half a dozen times. I also became very arrogant and rigid and wanted to finish the matter then and there so I had typed Lawyer Asad and look it was accepted by facebook in a jiffy! Hooray!!!
My facebook was created and so a new identity was imposed on me; Lawyer Asad.
My friends call me Asad and it really makes me very comfortable. But quite a few ask me if I'm a Lawyer for real or its my name! LOL!!!
I don't blame those friends. Because in India there're variety of names could be found.
And in these years Asadul Islam, the mighty Lion of Islam has been known all over the world as Lawyer Asad!
Who says there's nothing in a name?
Huh...?
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