Surname is an identity. Should it remain with us?

     Few weeks before I was visiting some place with one of my friends. I always choose to go some new place in the weekends. While we were talking, he mentioned about how he wanted to get rid of the stamp put on by the system of caste system on his identity founded thousands of years ago. I had a similar kind of thought which I sometimes discuss with my friends. When this topic bounced back to me I picked up my laptop.

     Stratification and classification of people is very common in Indian society and people are very deeply connected with the system. It is a major thing on the basis of which a lot of things depend in the society starting from respect, accessibility, ownership, participation etc. People get excluded positively and negatively because of this system. Caste is such an important part of the identity of the person that whenever people meet for the first time and have their first conversation they make it sure to put a question to know the caste of the other one; and mostly that comes as soon as possible after the commencement of their conversation. I wonder as if people think the conversation will not be completed if they miss that one. Most interestingly whenever they ask; they ask about their surname. Mostly they understand their caste from the surname itself and if still they are not clear; they ask about their caste directly.

     Group of surnames again denotes whether someone is Brahmin or Kshyatriya or Vaishaya or Shudra. And once someone’s caste and varna is known, attitude takes its direction accordingly thereafter. Various types of restrictions, accessibility, practices, professions ownership etc. are associated with the castes and varnas. This is how our surnames are actually controlling lot of things in our day to day life. These surnames associated with people works like the different designs changes the value of the same paper making it a currency note. Some particular design has more value than other design. Currency note is primarily a promissory note and identified easily because of their different designs. And the same different designs draws different attitude towards them some are examined properly before accepting and some are not. And it is because of the difference in their face values.

     Many questions rush through my mind. Is it really necessary to have a Surname? Are all happy with their Surnames? Why govt. emphasizes on full name rather giving an opportunity to the individuals whether they want to put their First name or both the parts when it comes to documentation? Since govt. do not support caste system, then why it is necessary to provide First name and Surname in documents?

     Imagine a society where there is no surname with people’s names. The basic way of knowing someone’s community will not be available and so a lot of notions about various communities will no longer be there. In the other way there will not be too much of division of human race into different societies, communities etc. Name is sufficient for someone’s identity and it is not very important to know from which caste (s)he belongs to. People are known on the basis of what they have (knowledge, skills, capabilities, profession etc.) and not on the basis of what their community is like or the geographical location from where they come from. There are no feelings of being upper or lower. People will not fall into a social stratum by birth. People are noticed and decisions are taken looking into the effectiveness and efficiency, behavior etc. at workplace and in the society as well.

     What would you say on this?

- Bigan Mahakul