Being Preeti Bakshi

When I was unmarried, I rather loved my surname! And when it was time to get married and take a new name, I was quite upset! Why should I have to change everything? Change the way I dressed, shift my loyalties from my parents to my new family and to top it all, change my name too! I protested, and Praneet being the sweet gentle soul he is, did not insist. My dad kept asking me to change my name, because it would make life easier for me – for passport and other documents.
But how would I include my maternal surname? Preeti Singh Bakshi meant that Praneet’s surname came in the middle and Preeti Bakshi Singh did not sound right! Anyway, since I was still working, I went with Preeti Bakshi most of the places, until I started feeling a little sorry for Praneet. Every time I was travelling and he would call me in the hotel, they would connect him saying, ‘Mr Bakshi is calling!’ So eventually, I gave it up after some months and settled down to being Preeti Singh.
Preeti Bakshi, for me is a time, when I was footloose and fancy free, the beloved daughter of my parents whose needs always came first. Preeti Singh is an adult (??), a wife and a mom (a crazy one), a home-maker (not very good, but still responsible for her family’s well being, first and foremost!).
And then, the other day, I received a courier from my parents – and they had addressed it to Preeti Bakshi. And I realized that my email ID is also saved as Preeti Bakshi in their address books.
This one act pleased me like no one’s business – While I love being Preeti Singh, I am still the same old Preeti Bakshi!! And that too for my Dad, who was most insistent that I change my surname! Love you Dad for keeping me alive!!