My Name My Pride

There are many people who are bothered about their names. Most of these are although just caused due to perceived, external locus of identity and societal image. People perceive their names to either not match their social image, persona and personality or they have names that do not suit them, so they get laughed at. Let us understand and always remember that a name is a very personal thing. It is a powerful piece of our identity and who we are to the society at large. While some people have names because there is a clink to it, there are others who have names with meanings, in various languages, at times not even in the native language. For me, my name is my identity and I really love to be called by that - RAKA.

 Among the many reasons why I love my name is because it is unique and also because it was given to me by my late paternal grandfather. My name is an unique identity which makes me feel proud. When I was young, for obvious reasons I asked my parents the meaning of my name (more so as it had a resemblance to the name of a villain in a famous comics). They told me it is a Sanskrit name which means a "FULL MOON", which also has the same meaning in my native language - Bengali.

The relevance of your name stems from the fact that it is the subconscious effect that this word has on people - this is what people perceive unconsciously when they hear this word. This is the unconscious perception of most people when they hear this word. 

The omniscient Google talks about the personality and characterizes people with the name "Raka" as: You are also stable, disciplined, practical, reliable, hard-working, and frugal. Being impulsive is not your style. You think things through carefully before embarking on a course of action. Turning ideas to reality is one of your best traits. Your heart’s desire is peace and harmony above anything else. When people hear the name Raka, they perceive you as someone who is gentle, sensitive and intuitive. Predatory individuals see you as an easy target. You attract the opposite sex with your passion and attentive nature. The exquisite sense of beauty and excellent taste you show makes others admire you. You are patient and understanding when listening to other people’s problems. You have a deep well of feelings and intense inner world. Energetic, thorough, kind-natured, and perfectionist are some of the words that can describe you. You have an excellent work ethic.

Today after when I read all this, I found that how much and apt your name and its meaning actually affects you and your personality. All these personality traits and characteristics, in some or the other way is defining me as a person.

While there have been times, when people not conversant in a particularly aligned language, mispronounce my name -- "Rakha", "Rekha","Racca".... which is irritating, but still I prefer correcting them unless I am doing it over and over again. Anyways, the most important thing is that I love my name, 

It is my Pride, my Identity.

Pursuit of Simpler Life

In today's world, where a plenitude of social obligations and boundless digital distractions nearly drown out the voice of simplicity, it is even more prudent to connect with the inner voice and identify with who we truly are. everything in our lives takes up space, from mental to physical to even calendar, but unfortunately, we only have so much room to accommodate.

As another year unfolds itself and we look forward to new beginnings, opportunities, and forethoughts, it is opportune to retrospect and introspect the different elements of our lives. While there are plethora of ways to either simplify or complicate our objectives, inspire or be in despair about being able to follow up on the new year resolutions. While the extent to which our efforts bear fruit results in the emotions, it also decides our level of enjoyment or exhaustion for putting in the efforts.

The life that is spread out too far and wide, why not narrow it down and answer the questions -- 

a) What do I want more of in my life? 

b) What do I want less of in my life?

The answers to these questions will provide a direction to where to begin.

There are small changes in routine and perspective, so rather than committing to daily journaling, we could adopt a simpler approach, like reflecting on our day using the Rose-Thorn-Bud analytic method periodically, whether nightly, weekly, fortnightly or monthly. These small incremental steps hold immense power in contributing to the improved life, we aspire to have.

It is more important to get started than to get it perfect at the beginning. Consistency is the key to building a sustainable relationship, even with the self. By taking these manageable steps, we pave the way for a simpler, more fulfilling life.