Mistake in name

Many people are not serious about the mistake they do while writing names in Nepali or English. Sometimes, such mistakes cause really serious problems. I frequently remember an event that happened with me around six years ago. I was sub-editor at a Dharan-based local daily newspaper. I had to do a reporting about milk farmers of Tarahara. They were on a strike. The leader’s name was ‘Indra’ who had given me information via telephone.

The next day, I received a phone call as soon as I had joined the office. It was the same person who had given me ‘news’ the previous evening. But instead of showing any gratitude for the news coverage of their strike, he started bashing me on phone. He was saying me, “Why did you change my gender, Mr? You don’t know how to write people’s names?” He kept scolding me for a long time while I was frequently trying to placate him. At last I said, “I am really very sorry for what has happened, sir. A corrigendum will be published in tomorrow’s issue.” Then, I forcefully dropped the receiver.

In place of his name, another name- ‘Indu’- was published in the news. In Nepali, both ‘Indra’ and ‘Indu’ look almost alike in written form.

I was surprised how it had happened because I knew I had written the name correctly in my draft the previous evening. I searched around the computer room and in the trash box.

After all, I found my draft crushed and thrown in it. I took it out of the trash box and looked for the name. Lo! The name was correctly written- ‘Indra’. Then, how had it got published in that way which would fetch me bitter words instead of sweet and gentle gratitude?

I found that it was the mistake of the proof reader; a middle aged grumpy junky man who was very jealous of my position (I was in a higher rank than his). When I asked him why he had changed the name, he said he could not read my handwriting. He did not give me a satisfactory answer. Instead, he quarreled with me. He enlisted me as his enemy from that day, and stopped speaking with me. When I left the newspaper two years after, I was still his enemy.