From Gifts of Passage by Santha Rama Rau

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From Gifts of Passage by Santha Rama Rau

In the first passage, “By Any Other Name”, by Santha Rama Rau, she describes her life at her Anglo-Indian school (671). She is very young at this time, but is still able to clearly see the differences between the Indian students and the other students (673). Her teacher refuses to use her name and calls her Cynthia instead of Santha (672). Santha feels like when she enters her school, she must play the part of another person; she must become Cynthia. Cynthia does not attract attention to herself. Cynthia does not use Indian terms and does not interact with the non-Indian children at school. Cynthia must be happy with her new name. This is the part she feels she must play. But in truth, Santha loves her Indian food and wishes to make more friends. She hates the name Cynthia, and refused to say it to the class at one point in rebellion, even though she was naturally more shy in her youth (673). 

In the second passage, “The Ghost in the Garden”, she describes a time when she is surrounded by her Indian family (676). One of her relatives shares a story about a ghost who lives nearby (677). This ghost has backwards feet, which is a common characteristic for ghosts in Indian lore and culture (676). Her and some of her cousins swear they see this ghost later on, and this becomes a significant memory for her (684). 

I believe these passages were chosen because they show the stark difference between two areas of her life. One part of her life is filled with excitement and color when she is with her family. The other part of her life is school, where she feels she must hide certain aspects of herself that make her who she is. As someone who traveled so much, she must have felt like an outsider at times. Maybe this experience at school with the clash of cultures helps prepare her for her travels later on in life.