How often do we use our real names?
Do you prefer your real names or the names you choose for the socials!!
Well, we all like changes, don't we…
We have our birth names. Yet most of us prefer to avoid using our real terms. And the reasons can be diverse- they can start from
Ohh!! It is hard to pronounce; it gives away my background and my ethnic identity; my name is not cool or for the plain simple reason-
I don't like my name.
Well, where does your reason fall?
Mine is the latter- I don't like my name.
My name is a typical South Indian name. Common in the sense that it is way too common. When I was in my school, there were at least 10 Aswathi as my juniors and seniors. I always had Aswathi's in my class and in different divisions too, which made the name quite normal and invited a lot of confusion during my school days. And now, my name is memers favourite. It can be seen in almost all meme pages, the girlfriend who dumps her boyfriend in the end, the name boys uses to set up their fake account and the common name the social media addicts use to kill time- yes, fake accounts everywhere. Taking a look back at my school days, the confusion attached to my name went something like this;
Who is who?
Which Aswathi was the teacher referring to, whose notebook was incomplete? Why did she say I performed poorly on my tests?
"Oh, not you, Aswathi, the other one. I got confused…."
So sick; perhaps I got used to it- but the miscommunication and identity swap, strictly, I wouldn't say I liked it. I always wondered why my parents chose such a common name. I am their first child- why didn't they do some research and find a beautiful name instead?
Do we have a solution?
Yes, we do… but do all practise the solution?
No…
The will to change our real name legally is hardly practised…
Why?
Cause it is a Herculean task. We can easily change our jobs, homes, spouses and careers. But why changing a name is an arduous task?
The large set of rules to follow is off-putting. We have to publish the news in the papers, receive no objection from the authorities, state the reasons, convince the officials, get permission from the family, and the list goes on. And even if we changed our names, the suspicion around it does not fade away. A large percentage of the people on social media sites do not use their real names, and I fall under that category. I associate with two different names. One is a bit Western, and the other- is a proper Indian. And if you ask me which one I prefer if I wish to change my name officially, I would say- the Indian one.
The reason is- I like it more.
Do you like your real name? Would you wish to change your real name? Have you spoken with your parents and asked them why they chose this name? What was the significance of it? And if you have a child of your own, would you be disappointed if they wish to change the name?
Do let me know your views in the comments :)
