What’s in a surname?

They say, with a famous surname, you���ve won half the battle.
Think Abhishek Bachchan, Rahul Gandhi and his not-so-celebrated cousin, Varun Gandhi. But Gen i doesn���t seem to think so. Call it rebellion or the desire to carve out an identity for oneself, but youngsters today are increasingly looking to do away with their surnames. A quest for individuality or not liking your surname ��� the reasons could range from the ridiculous to the sublime.
If you think this is a new trend, think back to the biggest surname in India ��� Gandhi ��� and to Harilal Gandhi, who disowned the surname after he felt he was let down by his father, the Mahatma.
I���m a rebel
Tired of the whole class and caste babble? Just chuck the surname. It���s not a son or a daughter of a family rebelling ��� rather, it���s a reformist talking. Sidharth, who���s pursuing his masters in literature, says, ���Having a surname means you accept a particular class, socially. Surnames are used to determine social hierarchy. We have to do away with the Hindu-Muslim identity, to end the divide and rule policy.���
��
Lost in transaction
Can shedding the surname be the answer to an identity crisis? A surname, the youth say, carries a burden that needs to be shed. Garima (name changed), who is preparing for her MA entrance, says, ���My taking on my dad���s surname means that I belong to my father���s family. When I get married, I���ll be asked to take up my husband���s name. The ownership will change from one to the other! Whatever I am will be lost in the transaction. I���d rather drop my surname to create a space for myself.���
Big deal?
Swapnpriya, a media professional, dropped her surname because for her, it was all about an assertion of family values and tying one to a particular thought process. ���The question here is ��� How do you want to be perceived? Who do you belong to, and where do you come from? A surname is a big deal. It���s not just a name, it���s who you are. You are made to follow an identity, and you have no say in it. Some may not agree with what their family believes in. People change their names, ��� why should the surname be any different?��� she asserts.
Onir, filmmaker
���I dropped my surname after school. Earlier, I had added my mother���s name to my name, along with my father���s. But the teacher always called me by my dad���s surname. I did not want to have a surname that I could not connect with. So, I wanted my mother���s name to be there. This is about rebellion and creating one���s own identity. When you add a surname, you become someone���s son. The trend of dropping a surname is not going to stop as lots of people are questioning its validity. Married women, for instance, retain their maiden surnames or add it to their husband���s, instead of simply taking on their husband���s last name.���
Name droppers
She chose Tabu over Tabassum Hashmi
Govind Ahuja doesn���t sound as rapchik as Govinda, na?
Rekha never used her famous father, Gemini Ganesan���s last name
Till Bobby & Sunny became actors, no one knew he was a Deol
Kajol never used her last name, like mom Tanuja & aunt Nutan
Jeetendra never used ���Kapoor���, but his kids, Ekta & Tusshar, do