“What’s in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.” – William Shakespeare

I am a great admirer of William Shakespeare and wherever you find this quote to its contrary you find his name written beneath.If you had the choice, would you rename yourself or stick to your name?

People are very choosy when it comes to naming their children; some also celebrate this moment while some sects even have functions or ceremonies defined for the purpose of naming a baby.

I am sure parents across the world are equally excited when a new one joins the family and are excited to choose a name wisely.

As far as India is concerned it plays very important part in almost all religions and across all genres of society. We spend considerable amount of time in researching the new comer’s name. Trivial techniques consist of seeking advice from elders and asking your family and friends for suggestion.

The factors which are usually considered while naming in this part of the world are:

• Unique: It should be as unique as possible; no one should have heard it before. People end up keeping complex name for their babies owing to this at times difficult to pronounce.
• Meaningful:  Name should have a proper meaning. Most of the time name is not a proper noun.
• Holy: Try to name your baby after the name of God/Goddess like Radha, Krishna, Sia etc.
• Nickname: In a majority of the cases this name gets derived over time by what most people start calling you when you were born. This is contributed by Grandparents, parents, siblings and neighbors. It is too late when you realize that your baby has got a name.  This is name by which the new born will be known for the rest of his life to his entire family and friends and neighbors. There may be more than one nickname.It is associated with a lot of love and tied with sweet memories.

My name(Subhash) too has a very special significance and at the same time it holds a very high regard in the society. I will go ahead in explaining about this.

1- Meaning

If I break it up it will split in:

Subhash – Su + Bhash

It consists of

Su – it means beautiful, good or well. It is used in conjuction with greeting like Subh Ratri ( Good night), Subh Din( Good Day) Subh Diwali (Happy Diwali).

Bhash – it means well spoken language or speech.

So combining the two, Subhash implies a person who is very well spoken.

2-Namesake

I have a namesake, a person who played a very significant role in liberating India. Reference is to the freedom fighter Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, as my parents were a big follower of his so they named me after him. Netaji holds a place of great respect and esteem in the Indian society and he is regarded as the founder of INA.

I am proud of my name and always take with a pride and love to keep it, thanks Mom and Dad for this nomenclature. It will always remind me of the fact:

1. To be well spoken
2. To remember Netaji
3. Remind me of my Mom and Dad.

Thanks for taking the time to read this and let me know your namesake.

Special thanks to 6 year old daughter  Pearl who helped me to photograph the key chain despite her busy morning schedule to compete with the school bus in the morning, Love you baby.