Why I still use my last name

Recently, I was sharing my views in a Facebook discussion related to the caste system in India. I don't support this system and believe that it is a totally flawed and unfair system. It should be banished as soon as possible because it divides people based on their birth. During the discussion, one person who was trying to justify this system using the usual arguments like the original system was flawless and people messed it up, caste is not decided by birth, said that even though some of us are against this system we all still proudly use our surnames (or last names). He also claimed that the reason we still use it is we all feel proud to associate ourselves with the glory of our last name. While many are really proud of their caste and like to flaunt it as some sort of achievement, I am not one of them. Normally, the last name or surname in India indicates so many things (like place of origin, profession of ancestors, caste or office of authority, etc.). Mostly they indicateUnfortunately, in India the last names are used to find the caste of a person. Most people who like to flaunt their last name belong to those so-called upper castes. 

Now some people might think that I am against the use of last names/surnames because they indicate a person's caste. No, not at all, rather, I come from a state in India (Maharashtra) which I think has the largest variety of surnames, some of them are really unique and funny. Nothing wrong with any names, after all, what's there in the name, but its association with a particular caste is the problem. 

For most of us, our name is decided by our parents, and before we know anything about caste or religion that name is printed on all our official documents. Changing our first or last name is not an easy thing. Also, this is just a technical point, one can change the name if one wants. For most Indians, my last name is an easy giveaway to know which caste I belong to, so it's obvious to ask, why I still carry on that tag which represents the system in which I don't believe and don't have any respect. A valid question to ask. Actually, at one point, I thought of removing it, but it's a very complicated process and this can't be an excuse. I also thought what purpose will it serve? I didn't get find any satisfactory reason to get rid of it and that's the reason I still have it. Our identities should not be slaves of our names, I feel my identity will remain the same irrespective of my first name or last name. My last name also acts as a reminder for me, a reminder of the horrible past where this system that offers this unique identity to that name allowed the exploitation of millions of people in the name of caste. So, even though I don't believe in that system, my last name reminds me of that system which still exists and is practiced. I am waiting for the day when the name will cease to have any superior or inferior community status tag associated with it.

Believe it or not, many people still love to talk proudly about their caste and glorify it. There is no surprise that most of these people belong to either Brahmin, warrior (Kshatriya), or vaishya (business class) castes, the so-called top three varnas of the caste system. These three castes are guilty of exploiting castes belonging to the fourth varna, shudra. Shudras (all lower castes including untouchables) were exploited by all other varnas for centuries because of this caste system. They were treated worse than animals (cattle were treated better than them). So, I wonder how can one be proud of a name tag associated with the caste that allowed horrible things to happen for centuries. Not only did people from the upper castes allow it to happen, but they were also actively involved in it, and when Shudras protested against this injustice these so-called upper castes tried their best to crush their protest and preserve this system which gave them an unfair advantage. Fortunately, untouchability doesn't exist in India anymore, at least not in its original form, but the caste system is still present. It plays a very important role in politics and marriages. There were many attempts to eradicate it but it is so deeply rooted in people's minds that they are not willing to let it go.

My last name acts as a good reminder for me that we still need to fight against this system which still exists and divides people based on their birth. For me, the name doesn't have any special meaning.  There is nothing special about my name, I need to give that name a unique identity, and I refuse to associate with any identity that name offers me without my consent and approval. As far as my kids are concerned it's entirely up to them if they want to carry this last name or not. They were not aware of the meaning of this name until I explained it to them, this is because they live in a country where this name doesn't have any obvious meaning. It doesn't suggest or indicate anything to people around except, obviously for Indians. So, my kids are quite neutral about their last name, which is the way it should be. But that's not the case with me, because I know what it means, even though that meaning is not important or has any significance to me, I know very well what it means, and what it indicates. So, it's my conscious decision to keep that name. It is in one way a reminder for me of all autocracies committed against those innocent people in the name of caste.

I wait for the day when my last name will cease to have any association with any caste, they will be like just any other name which is totally personal, not social. People will offer an identity to their names, and the name won't differentiate people based on their birth, the same way a skin color should not decide a person's social status but their own work and efforts decide it. Hopefully, in the near future, names will mean nothing and will not indicate any caste and categorize people. It may or may not happen in my lifetime but I believe I must try to eradicate this system, my fight will continue as long as people know which caste my last name belongs. I want it to become a caste-neutral name, and people like me can do that. Casteism, racism, gender discrimination, or any type of discrimination are social evils, and we all need to take efforts to eradicate them from society as soon as possible.

Thanks for reading and please share your views on this topic.

(Copyright: Vinay Thakur. Please contact the author for re-posting or publishing)

Links:

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varna_(Hinduism)

2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caste_system_in_India