Touchstones: Names matter, and why not
Names fascinate me, for there’s a story connected to each one — surely, probably
Updated At : 06:47 AM Jul 20, 2025 IST
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What’s in a name, you may ask. After all, as the Bard observed, a rose would still smell as sweet by any other name. While that may well be true, names fascinate me because they may be an apt description of the person or a complete antonym. One of my favourite poems is by the redoubtable Kaka Hathrasi: ‘Naam bade aur darshan chhote’. Kaka then goes through a list of ill-named characters whose nature is the opposite of what their names suggest. Do please Google it and laugh as you hear of a Nainsukh who has only one eye or a Munshi Chandalal who is as black as tar, while Gyanchand has failed six times in the 10th class.
