What’s in a name? Rajasthan Education Department learns a tough lesson

What’s in a name? The Rajasthan government’s Education Department has learnt a tough lesson after its ‘Sarthak Naam Abhiyan’ (meaningful names campaign) for giving the students “more dignified” names ran into a controversy. Ironically, the move created more problems than it could solve.

The campaign was rolled out earlier this week with the objective of suggesting meaningful names for the school going children, as the names given in the rural areas were perceived to be embarrassing, often with derogatory connotations. The Education Department stated that these names could lead to low self-esteem among the students.