R. Ramaswamy Iyengar in a letter to the editor of Praja Vani:
“Some 58 years ago, N. Keshava Iyengar was the mayor of the Bangalore City Corporation. A staunch Congressman and Nehruvian, he was a firm believer in secularism.
“Some citizens needled him: “Sir, you follow secular principles. How come you still retain the ‘Iyengar‘ in your name?”
“Finding merit in the citizens’ argument, the mayor dropped his surname and soon came to be known as N. Keshava.
“The reason I bring this up is because so many of our secular titans continue to retain surnames that denote the name of their communities and sects. For example, H.D. Deve Gowda who heads the Janata Dal (Secular). Doesn’t this run counter to their secular credentials?”
***
The late economist and Member of Parliament Prof K. Venkatagiri Gowda would angrily telephone editors and reporters if he was referred to as Prof Gowda. “My name is Venkatagiri, not Gowda,” he would holler.
Lalu Prasad Yadav has long become Lalu Prasad, but Mulayam Singh Yadav continues to be MSY.
So, should Mani Shankar drop the Aiyar from his name? Does “former prime minister H.D. Deve” have the same ring as “former prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda?” Would B.K.S. Iyengar have been as famous as just “B.K.S.”, or K. Pattabhi Jois as K. Pattabhi?
Tags: B.K.S. Iyengar, Churumuri, H.D. Deve Gowda, Janata Dal Secular, Jawaharlal Nehru, JDS, K. Pattabhi Jois, K. Venkatagiri Gowda, Lalu Prasad, Lalu Prasad Yadav, Mani Shankar Aiyar, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Secularism
24 June 2008 at 10:23 am
Not worth a debate as both ways it will not change the world
24 June 2008 at 10:24 am
Flawed argument and example, just dropping the surname does not make ones’ name secular. In this case “Keshava” still remains a Hindu name(no offense meant) how do you call it a secular name?
Please get it a life its ok not to have a posting like this.
24 June 2008 at 10:28 am
Yes..we should all drop our last names …otherwise we run the risk of becoming communal. We should also circumcise our organ by 54 degrees
( because muslims are 15% of the population and 15% of 360 ( a full circle) is 54 ) – that way we can prove that we also represent Muslim principles in proportion to the population. We should also have multiple wives …so that we follow that Islamic principle We should not wear protections while doing “that thing” …since Catholic Christianity forbids it.
In order to be looked as really liberal we all should sleep with members of the same sex…else we will be seen as being anti-alternative-lifestyle.
We all should wear a sardarjis headgear three days in a month.
24 June 2008 at 10:33 am
To become a secular I think should remove my first name also… because it represents particular community.
This is the case with us. What about other community? I think by birth they are seculars.. because they have so and so name… huh..
24 June 2008 at 10:41 am
What a stupid argument? A surname denotes the background of a person and could convey something to the other party.
In my real life, I only use an initial with my first name and not a surname (as many South indian brahmins do). Iget confused looks by every person I meet in professional circuit – whether Indians or foreigners.
I am all for more gowdas and iyengars and raos and murthys and yadavs and bhats and … In fact, the surname culture should grow more.
24 June 2008 at 11:04 am
Yes, we all need to drop our surnames. That would atleast lessen the problem, if not completely remove. For those above questioning names indicating religions – I am all for removing religion itself. One that has created more problems than solutions.
24 June 2008 at 12:14 pm
I dont think I would ever drop my family name and title. It indicates something. Names are not meaningless. I think keeping a Reddy title does not make me a castist or removing it does not indicate any secular credentials. It is your mind set that matters, not a name.
I have seen some people wanting to know my caste/community, when I intentionally dont reveal that I am a Reddy. They go on asking questions like “Are you a vegetarian” ? What temples do you visit? Who is your family god?( I have told them my father :) ) and several other silly questions to dig info to know one’s community/caste.
24 June 2008 at 12:26 pm
@Abhi
“I am all for removing religion itself”
Can you suggest a sane(in current times) religion neutral name, I am not able to think of any?
24 June 2008 at 12:56 pm
this whole post sucks and is meaningless..Then we have to name our kids as somavaarappa,budhavaaramma,shanivaaranna based on the day a person is born or on the color of the person say kariappa,kempamma… Is this what the author wants.. is he ready to name his daughter/son,granddaughter/son like that?
24 June 2008 at 1:08 pm
@Another One
I think the Beckhams son is named as “June Apple” or something like that. That is completely non-religious :)
We could name our kids Masala Dose and Benne Dose.
24 June 2008 at 1:44 pm
Given the commie leanings of Churmuri, I think churmuri would be happy if the gov’t takes over naming.. i.e when a baby is born the gov’t will allot a name to it from its list of “cleaned” up names just like a license plate :)
And of course it will also launch a grand 10K cr scheme to rename everyone in the country.. soon the gov’t will run out of names and will resort to KA05xxx type names ;)
24 June 2008 at 1:53 pm
What a silly peice of argument. Removing a surname one doesnt become secular or communal. Infact Surnames are very much required as it reinforces much granular identity at a family level. It is broader and generalized identities which has caused much violence.
And why give examples of only Hindu names. Why not people stop calling themselves Khan, Pathan, Sheik, Moulana, De Souza, goldtein jain, Singh (yes please suggest this to our Sardards in Punjab and see their response). Even why should George Bush should change his surname or drop it.
And like Malcolm X we will start having alphabets as Surnames.
Actually the article is very also quite vicious because it atacks the Hindus only and tries to rob them of their family and cultural idenity in the name of imagined caste oppression and secularism. Typical of Commies.
24 June 2008 at 1:58 pm
In my childhood I used to beleive a strory about Chinese and how they used to name their children. I realized much later that it was actually a joke. The chinese used to drop cutelery like spoons, pans and plates and name the children based on the sounds like – Tin tong chin and so on.
Maybe the commie author is indicating us to do his in India.
24 June 2008 at 2:45 pm
Oh! Forgot!
Abishesk Bachans’ Idea Cellular ad is exactly this!!
24 June 2008 at 2:54 pm
This reminds me of Bhayyas who drop their community names Manikant Misra becomes Manikant Deepak, Rajesh Yadav becomes Rajesh Kapil so on and so forth. Why be ashamed of your identity?
24 June 2008 at 5:29 pm
Should Harkishen Singh Surjeet wear a pagdi?
24 June 2008 at 5:38 pm
Churmuri is losing it after BJP won the elections in K’taka.
:)
24 June 2008 at 6:58 pm
This is all useless socialist talk!! For socialism to make a real impact on the society we need need true socialists like purandaradasa and kanakadasa and not iyengars or gowdas or jois’
24 June 2008 at 8:53 pm
How about naming the kids Churumuri? No shades of communalism in that
24 June 2008 at 9:10 pm
i remember this dialogue from a tamil movie vedam puthithu
boy : unga per enna (whats ur name)
secular man : Balu Devar
boy : Balu ingarathu unga peru, Devar ingarathu nenga padicchu vangina pattama (“Balu” is ur name, Is “Devar” is the degeree you got by studies)
24 June 2008 at 9:59 pm
So I should now be just ‘Anonymous’?
24 June 2008 at 10:22 pm
@Can you suggest a sane(in current times) religion neutral name, I am not able to think of any?
Remove it from your brain, it will automatically get removed from name.
25 June 2008 at 12:54 am
Great post churumuri. Forsaking surname is not anti-communal but anti-caste. TN is a great example where using surname is officially banned by govt. Look at the socio-economic development there. People always identify themselves with their language rather than caste. I do endorse this idea as one’s surname does influence his/her personal and professional life in both positive and negative ways.
25 June 2008 at 1:35 am
TN is one stupid State where in the name of Resevation/appeasing Minorities…every sucking measures are being taken. I donot think Karuna Nidhi(!?) has guts to ask a certain community to remove “Goundar” while he could easily do it with Iyers/Iyengars….
having a Surname is one’s personla wish and By not having it…One will not become Secular….Why just the Keshava Iyengar quoted here. If that happens to be true, We shud be asking so many Muhamad’s, akbar’s, faizal’s, anthony’s, D Souza’s to trunacte their Names as well. Do u have GUTS to ask them to do it.Answer is BIG NO….Since the moment u ask it, u will be hurting the Sentiments of Minorities.
Common, Stop thinking Stupid…While the need of the hour is Being TRULY Secular in your actions, the ask here is being Secular in NAMES….
ROFAL :-)
25 June 2008 at 8:42 pm
Kamaraj too never used Nadar in his name.
What is in a name?
You could be “Secularist” with a religiously significant surname like Guha and be “Communal” with a surname that’s actually a title accorded by Muslim rulers — Majumdar! :D
PS: Majumdar funda is by some SECULAR™ HISTORIANS® — M/s Habib, Hasan and Noorani Co., published in a scholarly article in Frontline.
26 June 2008 at 12:17 am
Prashanth,
i am sorry to say this,but,you simply don’t have a clue about your neighbouring state. Have you ever noticed why people from TN use initials without surname. It simply doesn’t matter even if they are from the dominant communities like Goundars/nadars/chettiars/Reddiars- none use their surname. It includes your Mohammed’s and Antony’s. Solution is closer to your home one just need to look w/o jaundiced perception. Stop bitching about iyer/iyengar,you would be surprised to know these guys would be as haughty as any one in TN about tamil and their culture. Btw my point is it does usher some solace from casteism unless one like to blow his trumpet.
27 June 2008 at 11:51 pm
Yes we should stop using surnames. for example if somebody is angry on Janradhana reddy and his gang and they call them Reddy gang , I feel all people with Surname Reddy will feel bad.
5 July 2008 at 5:53 pm
What do we do with the first names of my cousins Gowdaiah, Reddappa, and Sayabanna?
19 July 2008 at 5:32 am
First thing the GOI should do in India is to introduce one full chapter in Basic English in schools all over to teach them the real meaning Of Secularism. Nobody in India including the Chief Justice,President and the prime Minister know the real meaning of the word “Secular”.