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Good morning. Attitudes towards race and identity have been under great scrutiny over the past months. In the last week alone, the long-awaited trial of the US police officer accused of murdering George Floyd has started, whilst in the UK, we saw the publication of the Government’s Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities report, with findings that many have found controversial. The repercussions of the George Floyd trial and the race report will be with us for some time to come. Against this backdrop, some are seeking to reclaim their identities in ways that they didn’t feel able to do in the past. Amongst them is Thandiwe Newton, the British actor who is reverting to using her Zimbawean name after spending 30 years being known as Thandie, all because of a simple spelling mistake in a film’s credits that she didn’t feel able to correct. As she told an interviewer, “It’s always been my name. I’m taking back what’s mine.” Names are a fundamental part of one’s identity. When choosing a name, many parents wait until they have seen their child before deciding if it will fit their new-born. In the Sikh faith, naming ceremonies are held when the baby first visits the gurdwara. The Guru Granth Sahib, the holy scripture, is opened at random and the first letter on the page become the first letter of the child’s name. Sikh names are gender neutral, and my own name, Jasvir, means “a brave soul who sings the Almighty’s praises”. My name has particular resonance for me as it’s formed from half of my mother’s first name, and half of my father’s. In the 1950s and 1960s, many who migrated to the UK took on anglicised names to make it easier for others to pronounce. Baldev became Bob, and Sukhwinder became Sue, all because they thought it would help them be accepted in British society at that time. Names literally define us, and I believe that the variety of names we encounter each day are something we should cherish rather than find difficult to understand or be embarrassed by. They reflect the uniqueness of the world around us, and they help us better appreciate that uniformity doesn’t always have to be a goal to strive for. In the morning prayer, Guru Nanak talks of how the diversity around us should be seen as a celebration of the Divine’s abilities. “The names and colours of the assorted species of beings were all inscribed by the Ever-flowing Pen of the Almighty. Who else knows how to write this account? Just imagine what a huge scroll it would take!” Difference is something for us to embrace and find beauty in, No-one should ever feel they have to change their name just to fit in. After all, if we can say Kardashian or Clooney, I’m sure we can learn to say Thandiwe.