What'S In A Name

It was a modest looking old age home on the outskirts of Delhi.

On a lazy winter morning, the receptionist of the home, with nothing much to do, was passing time looking aimlessly outside the door.

Just then a car came into the driveway and a well dressed young man got out, accompanied by a forlorn looking old couple.

The receptionist who had seen many a spectacle like this, simply went to her seat to get ready to deal with the formalities.

The young man, after getting the old couple seated in the lobby, came over and handed the receptionist a bunch of papers.

The receptionist nodded after going through the papers and then handed him a form and asked him to get it signed by the old couple.

The elderly gentleman, simply signed without even glancing at the paper twice and continued to stare at the walls without betraying any emotion.

The old lady, who must have been the mother, put her hand around the young man’s shoulder and continued talking to him in a hushed way.

Maybe she was trying to find a crack in the stone that once used to be her son’s heart.

But the young man gave her the pen and asked her to sign the form.

He then handed over the completed form and a cheque to the receptionist, who then started to enter the details in the register.

After finishing she asked the young man,

“Sir, I need the details of the next of kin.”

“I am their son. What details you need, please?”

“Sir, Your name please.”

“Shravan Kumar”

For a split second, it appeared as if there was a look of scorn on the receptionist’s face. Then it vanished.

Maybe she thought,

“Oh! Heck! What’s in a name”.

Aloud, she asked,

“Sir, your ID proof and Address proof please”

-------------------------------------THE END-------------------------------------

Author’s Note: Shravan Kumar is the name of a character that appeared in Ramayana, a great Indian epic. He is notable for exhibiting devotion toward his parents, which is unparalleled.