By Any Other Name By Santha Rama Rau

Ever felt like your name just didn't...fit? Like it belonged to someone else entirely? That's kind of what happened to Santha Rama Rau and her sister Premila in her story, By Any Other Name.

A New School, A New Identity?

Imagine being a kid and starting a new school, only to have the headmistress decide your name is too "difficult." That's exactly what happens to Santha and Premila when they enroll in an English school in India during the colonial era.

Suddenly, Santha is Cynthia, and Premila is Pamela. Talk about a serious identity swap!

The Name Game

The story isn’t just about names, though. It's about how these girls navigate a completely different culture. A culture that tries, quite literally, to rename them.

It's a bit like being handed a whole new script and being told to act like someone else.

At first, Cynthia (Santha) seems to accept it. She diligently learns about English things. But there’s a subtle resistance brewing within her.

The Power of Curry and Common Sense

One of the most charming parts of the story is when the narrator describes her teacher's utterly baffled expression upon learning that she eats curry. To the teacher, it was simply unthinkable.

"How could a child named Cynthia possibly eat curry?" you can almost hear her thinking. It's hilarious because it highlights the absurdity of these cultural assumptions.

Premila's response to the cultural disconnect is even more direct. She brings Indian common sense to her learning. Her time at the school ends early when she knows that she is being taught wrong information.

The Biscuit Test

There's a particularly memorable scene involving biscuits. The children in class were asked what they ate for breakfast. Cynthia said she ate biscuits.

The teacher was so pleased. She thought she finally succeeded at westernizing her.

What the teacher didn't know was that the biscuits were Indian biscuits. These are nothing like the sweet, buttery biscuits the teacher was imagining! It's a funny misunderstanding with the teacher oblivious to the truth.

Finding Yourself, By Any Other Name

Ultimately, By Any Other Name is a story about identity and belonging. It’s about holding onto who you are, even when the world tries to tell you to be someone else.

Santha, or Cynthia, learns that a name doesn't define her.

It is more about the experiences, the food, and the values that shape who she is.

The heartwarming element of the story is seeing these young girls, especially Premila, assert their own identities in the face of cultural pressures.

More Than Just a Name

So, next time you hear someone say your name, think about what it really means to you.

Does it represent your family, your heritage, your unique self?

By Any Other Name reminds us that we are so much more than what we're called. Our actions, our beliefs, and our connections to others are what truly define us.

It's a gentle, insightful, and often funny look at growing up in a world where cultures collide.

And who knows, maybe you'll even appreciate your own name a little bit more.