These days, surnames are the norm all over the world. Or is it? I come from that part of the world where people don’t use surnames and go by a single name. However, surnames are the norm in many parts of my country. Seems like a trivial issue? Not if you are in my position. What do you do when you are constantly asked to state your surname in all transactions? Especially when you don’t have one?
The tax department made me fill out a form which asked for my surname, first name and middle name. And this when I use only one name! Just use your father’s and grand father’s names to fill out the form, I was told. So I did. And when my name went into their records, I found that my own name had become my surname and my father’s became my first name. And then my credit card company, bless them, had a different take: They sent a letter purportedly addressed to me, the only problem being it bore my father’s name! Apparently, in their records, my father’s name is my surname. I saw red but they said that they were sorry, but that is what they had in their records. It started to look as though everyone was getting into the act: I wanted to book an airline ticket and guess what? They wanted my surname. When I proffered the usual “I-don’t-have-a-surname” story, they were considerate. As per their rules, they said, I had to have a surname. So they split my name (remember I use a single name) and printed out my ticket. So I have three different versions for my non-existent surname.
I often wonder at this obsession for surnames. Can’t a person go by a single name without having to go through all this rigmarole? I was also curious about the origin of surnames and the handy Wikipedia, revealed that till about the 12th Century, people didn’t use surnames and it started so that people could identify each other if they happened to live nearby. The first surnames were occupational, i.e. Butcher, Carpenter etc. Later it became locational or based on nicknames. Many communities were forced to adopt surnames in the 18th Century according to the Wikipedia, which has an interesting article on surnames here. And while I was on this piece, I had a visitor: A young man representing a charity. We got talking and I agreed to donate. He drew out a form. “Can I have your surname please?”
1 comments:
I also got into the same trouble while joining my First Job..:)
But after marriage,most of the north Indian ladies change their first name too along with the surname.
Post a Comment
Comments