Feature
What's in a name?
Sajeda Tamanna Hussain
As far as I remember, this particular incident took place soon after our A level results had been given. Those of us, who had sat for the exams from any school, had to subsequently collect their certificates from the representative school. Hence, on a random weekday, one of my friends went to our school in order to collect his certificate, which he, at the time of the incident, needed as part of his applications to a university, abroad. Once he had managed to attain all the necessary documents from the administration, he was on his way out of the school building, when he met one of our year-head teachers. For the sake of maintaining secrecy, let us call this friend, Rakin and the teacher, Silvia Miss. Now, this is how their conversation went!
'Good morning Silvia Miss!'
'Good morning, Rakin! What brings you here?'
'Miss, I had come here to collect my A level certificate. I immediately need to send a copy to my university.'
'Oh ok! Which university are you going to?'
Our dear friend answers with pride and a sense of achievement on his face, 'Miss, I am going to Stanford!'
'Oh, isn't that in Dhanmondi!'
The color from Rakin's face is instantly drained out and he feels as deflated as a punctured tire. 'Errr, Miss! I was talking about Sta”N”ford. It's part of the Ivy League in the United States.'
Well, it was Silvia Miss' turn to deflate. Anyhow, that wasn't the end of the story. Immediately after this incident, another friend of mine made a quick visit to school, in order to attain his certificate. Having made a mistake once, Silvia Miss had already trained herself to be increasingly careful, so as to not embarrass another student again. Let's call this friend Shiraj.
'How are you Shiraj? Enjoying your holidays huh?'
'Not really Miss! It has actually been pretty hectic, having to apply to so many different universities!'
'Oh, alright! Have you decided where you want to go in the end?'
'Yes Miss. I am planning to study Electronic Engineering at the American International University. In fact, they have already accepted my applications!'
'I am so proud of all our students! In which state is this university?'
'Pardon me Miss!'
'Where in America is it?'
'Oh no Miss! You are misunderstanding me! I was talking about AIUB. It is right here, in Kakoli, Banani!'
Well, I do not think there is any need to further describe either Silvia Miss' or Shiraj's change in expressions during and after the conversation. The whole point of mentioning this series of events is to portray an example of several ambiguities and blatant misrepresentations in our society.
I mean, I am sure so many of you have noticed, how that primary school around the block, started by one of your very own neighbours, pops up under the name of '…?… International School'! If that is not enough, it even claims to be the best English Medium School in the city. The surprising part is, a majority of these “best English medium schools in the city”, are of such high standard, that they are not even registered by law! Even when one does not consider such big issues, why is it that the word 'international' is used in its 'local' meaning? Well, while some of you ponder this question, let me move onto another interesting issue!
If you want to have the tastiest puri,, the yummiest shingaras, the best place to get them is at the roadside food shops. The large frying pan or tawa, the 'ek plet bhaat ar bish takar bhaji', the sweating waiter mama carrying a gamcha on his shoulder, are distinct features of such a shop. However, the most interesting characteristic of most of these shops lies within its name. For example, 'Bhai Bhai Hotel and Restaurant'! The dictionary meaning of a 'hotel' clearly states that, it is a building where living accommodations and meals are provided for people, in return for payment. The restaurant bit of the name fits, I agree! But from where on earth, did the 'hotel' join in? The word 'hotel' is one of those few English words, that has made its way into oral Bengali, like 'chair', 'seat' and 'table'. Then how come its meaning still lies misused or misunderstood? Whatever the answer to that is, the fact doesn't change that these names have given me one more reason to laugh my heart away!
Till now, I have only talked about how different words are used in their inappropriate meaning. There is an actual example of new words that have made their way in to our everyday life, by the grace of our local businessmen. Ever heard of a department-al store? Of course you have if you reside in Dhaka City! I don't know which part of this word is funny; the 'mental' bit, or the fact that the real term does not consist of an '-al' after the word 'department'!
All of this is very entertaining if one is light-hearted enough to enjoy the humorous side of the picture. However, it is not always funny if the misrepresentation is made with a view to deceiving general people for personal benefit. If a 200 taka item is labeled as 199.99 taka, that maybe termed as a marketing campaign. But if I name my school after a renowned university in Europe or America or my small shop after Wal-Mart, that might as well count as deception where I am trying to sell my goods under the image of another name, to which super quality and brand loyalty is attached. Well, if my buyers are however aware of this and still prefer to purchase my good or service, you might as well look at the bright side of the picture: at least I've got the name attached to my purchase!
(Student of North South University)
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