Everyday Poem-6 what Is In A Name? Poem by Bharati Nayak

EVERY DAY POEM-6
17th December 2025

What is in a name?
What's in a name? That which we call a rose / By any other name would smell as sweet, "
I don't agree with this Shakespearean famous quote.
When we give a name to a child, we search for beautiful words
That have good meaning, and also sounds good
But once we give a name to our child, we attach a character to him
Whenever that name is pronounced,
we naturally feel as if it is our child's name.
The name stays with the child for life long.
We can not change the name on a whim
In Odia language we call Rose as ‘Golapa'
If I see a rose, I will call it ‘Golapa', not rose.
For me, Golapa is an endearing name.
For a person, not knowing English,
The word 'Rose' has no meaning.
So we should never discount ‘Naming' as a small thing
Because names have images
And their association is not easy to break.
@ Bharati Nayak