The first full sentence that most of us were taught in school to write was:

My name is …….

That is how we learnt to identify ourselves before the world. Our name became the most intrinsic part of us. There was always a glint of pride associated with it. Then how come a lot of people start using pseudonyms later on in life? That too, for stuff which has far-reaching effects for themselves as well as the world?

Authors are the most known for using pseudonyms. Apparently, everyone had their own reasons for it. In the old days, when even writing was a fully male – dominated field, the budding women writers decided to go by male names. They wanted to be taken as seriously as a man in the world of words. It was only after they had established their position in that world, did they come out with their true names. Years later too, the tradition of using pseudonyms continues. Men also have come to share interest in it.

Today, the reasons stated are as diverse as there are kinds of people. For some, it is a facade from underneath which they can vent out their personal frustration into a public space, at times even targeting others, for example, in social media. For some, it is just another means to come across way cooler than they really might be. Yet for others, it is a liberating tool that helps them let the world have an honest glimpse of their true self coupled with their real opinions, which they might otherwise refrain from bringing out on the risk of being judged.

Slowly, as the person’s fame grows, so does the power of the pseudonym. In some cases, it becomes a brand in itself. As the real name gets shoved into oblivion, there is always a danger of so much history associated with it to also fade away from the mind. That must never happen. A pseudonym at most is only an extension of the real name, of the real person. It must never overshadow the real, even in the mind.