The Essence of Antara
Antara Palit
My name is different. It’s Indian. You can find my name in the Hindi dictionary. It means “the
second stanza of a song.” When my extremely musical parents decided to name their only child,
after a segment of a song, little did they realize it that it would influence her forever. After
choosing my name, they had hoped that I would continue the family tradition of being musical.
And I am quite musical. I sing, dance, and play the piano.
Knowing my name’s meaning from a young age, I was motivated to live up to it. I wanted to be
musical. When I was about 8 years old, I began to take formal singing lessons from Mr. Sharma,
a music teacher with a friendly countenance. I would sing the words on the page, and giggle when
I saw my name printed among the lines.
Time and again a certain incident would repeat itself. Sitting on an intricate Indian rug in a bright,
cozy room, I and my classmates would be singing the first stanza, of a complicated Indian
classical melody.
Suddenly I’d hear Mr. Sharma’s deep voice say, “Antara!” I would look up, confused, perhaps
even scared, that I had made a mistake. “No sweetie, I meant sing the Antara,” he would reassure
me. I would nod quickly in relief, and once again join the others in perfect synchronization.
Sometimes, the opposite would happen. Mr. Sharma would call out my name, and I would burst
into the second stanza. “No dear, this time I was referring to you,” he would say with a smile. As
much as I was flustered by these misunderstandings,
I secretly took pleasure in these moments. It made me feel like I truly was a part of the melody.
Sometimes, I wonder if I would have been so interested in music, had my name been something
else. But, I am sure, that any name would have affected me in some way, just as Antara has
molded me into what I am today.
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