What is in name?
There is famous quote by world renowned Poet William Shakespeare in his famous writing namely Romeo and Juliet :-”That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet”. Vigour and strength of this statement remains as valid even as today.
However that statement is based on the objective perception of an object. If we change our perception from objectivity to subjectivity, this statement holds no good.
We wonder , somebody would keep name of his baby as Duryodhana , Dussasana or Ravana. When we heard somebody has kept name of his baby as Taimur, our surprise and shock grew manifold. We wondered , after what could be psychology behind keeping name of his baby as Taimur?
Off course every parent is having fundamental right to keep the name of his baby as per his own desire or choice. But off course that right should conform of social consciousness. After what goog Taimur has done to India, which is inspiring somebody to emulate him. We wonder, if he was kind, tolerant? But the history tells us different story. Later we heard explanation behind keeping the name Taimur. It was explained that meaning of Taimur in Arabic is Iron”. Was this explanation plausible enough.
But this has to be understood in Indian context. How this name Taimur is related to in India? Taimur is remembered in India for his win in the year 1398. In the year 1398 , Taimur Captured Delhi and executed around 100,000 captives. We have read that after three days of citizens retaliation in Delhi, the city reeked of the decomposing bodies of its subject with their heads being erected like structures and the bodies left as food for the birds by Timur’s soldiers, having no sense of respect for the dead ones. Perhaps Taimur was the only Muslim invader who made no distinction between Hindu and Muslim population of India. He inflicted Hindu and Muslim population of India equally.
Off course Taimur was winner but barbaric also. The kind of respect Alexander enjoys in India, Taimur never gets that respect. Similar is situation with Akbar and Aurangzeb. Though Aurangzeb was having one Hindu Wife, still the kind of cruelty he shown for his Hindu Subject, that is unparalleled in the Mughal Empire. What could be psychology behind keeping this name Taimur or Aurangzed? Only because name of some word is good, does it mean one should keep that name, undermining the reputation of that word, which it carry?
If we go by this explanation, one should keep the name of his baby as Duryodhana and Dussasanana also as meaning word Duryodhana is that which cannot be defeated and meaning of word Dussasanana is that which cannot be ruled respectively. Still no body keeps name of his baby as names Duryodhana and Dussasanana remind us the ill acts committed by these mythological characters.
Similar is the situation behind names like Taimur etc. One can think that Either there is lot of praise for the barbaric act committed by the barbaric invader, or that this baby is meant to wipe out the ill memory in minds of Indians , that is associated with this name, by leading a pious and kind life. But we can guess only, actual secret behind keeping such name lies in the mind of God.
Ajay Amitabh Suman
