The Namesake?

For years and years I’ve went around proudly with my name, facing all ridicule of people misspelling it or mispronouncing it. I love my name. My father named me after Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, the wife of the 35th President of the United States of America, John F. Kennedy. Only a few (and I mean a few) people are familiar with the name (in India). When people ask me my name, I tell them, usually following it with, ‘You know Jacqueline Kennedy?’ and most of the time I get a negative answer. I don’t remember anyone I’ve asked recognizing the name. This usually brings me to frown inside. Then I add, ‘She’s the wife of John F. Kennedy… Former president of U.S.A?’ and this particular statement is usually received with a blank stare which explains it all… They don’t even know John F. Kennedy for crying out loud!!! How can I expect them to know Jackie Kennedy??? Don’t they even read magazines and books? Don’t they even watch Fox History or Hallmark? The life and death of J.F.K have been documented many a times and broadcasted on these particular channels. There are movies about Jackie Kennedy and her struggles, her love for her husband who is a player at heart, his alleged affair with one of the most famous and beautiful women of all time, Marilyn Monroe. And Jackie Kennedy has been declared one of the most notable fashion icons in American History. The bob, the single strand pearl necklace, the classic Chanel suit, the Jackie O glasses (huge bug-eyed sunglasses), The Jackie bag (Jackie’s signature Chanel handbag)… Doesn’t any of this ring a bell?? I guess not.
Most people in India are too preoccupied with what they’re doing that they don’t remember to look beyond their ‘four walls’. A student in India tends to learn only from his school books, with parents pressurizing him for better grades, he easily forgets to learn about the other things that are happening outside his straight A’s and Science Clubs. It won’t hurt a damn to read a little about other countries too. A person who knows even just a little bit about the Sistine Chapel and gets B’s in his report card impresses me far more than a straight A student who doesn’t even know the difference between primary, secondary and tertiary colors. On the other hand, they know a lot about Indian drama, or what we call ‘Bollywood’. It disgusts me to know Amitabh Bachchan and not know the name Sean Connery or Clint Eastwood. It’s not exactly possible for a person to know each and every detail about the world but knowing just a bit about what half of the world knows wouldn’t hurt them one teeny tiny bit.
There’s a new movie called ‘Aladdin’ coming out which has Amitabh Bachchan in it. And former Miss Sri Lanka, Jacqueline Fernandes will also be starring in it. This is when a majority of the people who didn’t have an inkling of what my name meant or how it’s spelled will start connecting my name with the starlet. This will eventually frustrate me. I liked having a name which wasn’t similar to some Bollywood star. Although it upset me when they didn’t know who Jacqueline Kennedy was, it’s going to upset me more when the only famous person they know who has the same name will be some Bollywood star. I don’t hold any personal grudge against Jacqueline Fernandes, I have to admit she’s hot and beautiful and smart, but I just don’t like her name being the only famous name some people are going to connect me with. It’s just not fair.