By Any Other
Name
Memoir by Santha Rama Rau
This is a summary of “By Any Other Name.”
BACKGROUND
In a memoir, a writer recalls an event or a set of related events from his or her past. In
this memoir, Santha Rama Rau (1923–2009) describes her first experience attending
school as a young child in India. At the time of the account, India was a colony of
Great Britain. At Santha’s school, the headmistress, or principal, is British. Most of
the students at the school are the children of British officials sent to India as colonial
rulers. Santha and the other Indian children who attend the school are looked down
upon and expected to follow British customs.
N OT ES
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SUMMARY
It is the first day of school in a small town in northern India. Fiveyear-old Santha and her eight-year-old sister, Premila, are new students
at the school. The sisters meet with the headmistress, who is the leader
of the school. When Premila introduces herself and her sister to the
headmistress, the headmistress says their Indian names are too difficult
for her to pronounce. She says it would be better for them to have British
names. So, she gives Premila the name Pamela, and she tells Santha that
her name will be Cynthia.
The school the girls attend is located in the town where they live while
their father travels throughout the surrounding countryside as an officer
for the British government. Before the girls started at the school, their
mother had been teaching them at home. They learned about their Hindu
religion and read books in the Hindi language. However, their mother
isn’t feeling well enough to continue the lessons.
By Any Other Name 1
NOT E S
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The first day of school was significant. Santha almost felt like she had
a second personality walking around with a different name. The feeling of
being separate and being called Cynthia was hard to believe. She didn’t
feel responsible for the actions associated with this new name. While
walking to class, she feels detached and wonders what life will be like in
this strange new school.
Most of the students in Santha’s class are British. Santha sits at the
back of the classroom with the few Indian students. Santha notices
that the girl she sits next to wears Indian jewelry, but a dress instead of
traditional Indian clothes. Santha thinks she should wear a dress, too.
At the start of class, the teacher asks Santha to introduce herself
to the class. She feels confused about whether she should say that her
name is Santha or Cynthia, so she says that she doesn’t know her name.
The British children in the class laugh at her, and she feels embarrassed.
For the rest of the day, Santha doesn’t pay attention in class. Most of the
lessons are about things her mother has already taught her.
At lunch, Santha finds Premila to share the Indian food they brought
from home. Premila gives Santha some food but tells her to go sit with the
girls from her class. All of the other students eat sandwiches.
After lunch, Santha has a short rest and then plays. Santha misses the
pleasant nap she usually takes at home, and she doesn’t enjoy the games.
She doesn’t understand the purpose of playing to win or lose. When her
nanny arrives to drive her and Premila home, she shouts and runs toward
her in excitement. This behavior embarrasses Premila, and she warns
Santha not to act that way again.
2 By Any Other Name
NOT ES
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At home, the girls have tea with their mother. Premila shares things
she learned at school. She also mentions that she and Santha should
bring sandwiches for lunch like the other students, instead of Indian
food. Santha feels relieved to be home, so she doesn’t want to talk about
anything that happened to her as Cynthia. She enjoys playing in her
garden that evening.
During the next week at school, Santha becomes friends with an
Indian girl in her class. She notices that the Indian and British children are
not friends. Santha continues to pay little attention to the lessons in class.
One day, while Santha sits in class, Premila abruptly enters. She orders
Santha to gather her belongings because they are leaving the school. The
girls walk home. It is hot, and the long walk is tiring for Santha.
When the girls arrive at home, their mother is surprised to see them.
Premila explains that her teacher ordered the Indian students in her class
to separate during a test. The teacher said they must do this because
Indian students cheat. Because of this unfair treatment, Premila thinks
she and Santha should stop attending the school. Their mother looks
upset and agrees with Premila that they shouldn’t return.
The girls have lunch with their mother, and then Santha leaves the
room for her afternoon nap. From the bedroom, she listens to her mother
and Premila talk about what happened.
By Any Other Name 3
NOT E S
Santha overhears her mother asking Premila whether she thinks
Santha understands what they discussed. Premila thinks Santha is too
young, so she would not have understood, and her mother hopes that
is true. However, they are wrong because Santha does understand and
recalls it clearly. But she puts it all away since it happened to a girl named
Cynthia, and she never cared too much about her anyway.
TURN & TALK
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With a partner, discuss your opinions about the importance of names. What types
of connections do people have to their names? What are some reasons why people
change names? How would you feel about changing your name?
4 By Any Other Name