A few days ago a gaggle of kids from my class, (IHRM- Minor), approached me for permission, to leave early to meet for their finance club activity. Apparently the club is called Prometheus after the Greek God, who goes by the same name.
This set me thinking…………because here is what we know of Prometheus!
Prometheus was the son of Iapetus who was one of the Titans. He tricked the gods into eating bare bones instead of good meat. He stole the sacred fire from Zeus and the gods. Prometheus did not tell Zeus the prophecy that one of Zeus's sons will overthrow him. In punishment, Zeus commanded that Prometheus be chained for eternity in the Caucasus. There, an eagle (or, according to other sources, a vulture) would eat his liver, and each day the liver would be renewed. So the punishment was endless, until Heracles finally killed the bird.
Considering that finance managers are expected to be ‘watch dogs of industry’, I thought it was a rather strange name to choose for their club, considering that his main activity seems to have been thievery and scheming!
Talking about names…………………………I have a few experiences, to share-
First, from my school, harking back to my 2nd standard.
There is this young kid, hair shiny with oil, standing with his head bowed, tears overflowing & staining his pale face, eventually dropping in big splotches on to his trousers. His crime- he had colored the beak of a parrot blue & had the audacity to be named as ‘Vidya Sagar’( Ocean of knowledge ), or so thought our teacher, who made him the subject of ridicule, much to our amusement. (How cruel can we be?) Vidya Sagar was never the same again!
My Principal at school was called ‘Mercy’, which was even stranger, as she slashed, whipped and struck her way through my eleven years at school, hitting everything in sight with a short, thick leather belt. I can still see her bulging biceps & glistening brow, in my mind’s eye, though I’ve ceased to shudder……………………………………& I'm sure many of my buddies have not!
My Physical instructor at school was called ‘Chiranjeevi’ (immortal), but the good soul did not live up to his name and departed rather prematurely, at a young age.
However, I’ve saved the best for the last! When we docked at Kolkata Port, a frequent visitor was one ‘Kachara Seth’ ( never got to learn his true name )……………………,who came on board to dispose our garbage. The gent looked really pathetic and wore the weirdest of clothes, added to which his manner was irritating, to say the least! I generally held my peace with him, thinking of how poor he was till, I learnt that he owned a couple of shops, at the ‘Fancy Market’ off Kiddarpore & also had a couple of houses in Kolkata. He was rich!
So then, what’s in a name?
