Topic started by Madurai Veeran (@ 151.san-francisco-11-12rs.ca.dial-access.att.net) on Sat Jan 13 01:28:33 .
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

Last names of Tamils, not unlike the rest of India, invariably denote the caste affiliations. Kamaraj Nadar, E.V.Ramasamy Naicker, Rajagopal Achary are some examples. Progressive thinking among the Tamils of the 19/20th century has helped them to overcome this practice and this custom has largely been abandoned.

Interestingly, Tamil Nadu brahmins appear to be reinventing this custom, especially those that have settled in the Western world. On the one hand, brahmins of TN have emerged as the loudest group to denounce the caste conflicts that are rampant today under the DMK regime; but on the other, those who have settled in the West are touting their caste appendages, unabashedly.

Can any one explain this curious phenomenon?

Responses:

• Old responses
  
• From: Rajesh (@ 129.212.138.130) on: Tue Aug 28 13:59:25
  
  Dr.Parasakthi, you should instead call yourself Cr.Parasakthi (Cr. standing for "crutches", which you obviously used to come "up" in life).
  
  Of course I can understand why you are anti-brahmin...after all that is what gave your likes reservation and helped you succeed. Just imagine a world of meritocracy...what a misfit would you have been! Keep up your anti-braminism and pray that reservation continues.
  
  
• From: visu (@ ) on: Sun May 26 11:41:47
  
  SILK SIDDHARTH,
  U R REALLY SMART
  
  
  RAJESH,
  ALSO IMAGINE ALL R TREATED EQUALLY
  
  
• From: gooseman (@ ac9df169.ipt.aol.com) on: Mon May 27 18:06:04
  
  MV
  why does it bother you so much!
  
  
• From: Madurai Veeran (@ adsl-66-122-63-233.dsl.sntc01.pacbell.net) on: Mon May 27 18:13:27
  
  gooseman!
  
  What bothers me so much? You, not being a gander?
  You can choose to be a gooseman, or a chickenman or a ratman. It does'nt bother me in the least.
  
  gooseman iyer? Go for it. Sounds very much like Koosi munusamy iyengar. It has a zing to it.
  
  
  
• From: kk (@ 12-248-43-172.client.attbi.com) on: Mon May 27 21:30:08
  
  Why are you always blamming Brahmins for Caste problems. People from all castes have contributed significantly and this continues even now.
  
  There is no point in blamming a particular community for all our mistakes. Give some contructive ideas instead of cursing & blamming others as if we are all doing the right thing.
  
  Question for (so called ) higher caste people : Are you ( & ur family ) respecting people from other castes equally ? What have you done from your part to remove this evil from our society ?
  
  Question for (so called ) lower caste people : When you benifit from some of the govt programmes like reservation...you are not allowing people from your own community to come up...just to avoid competition. I know many of them at a better state now. Have you done anything for your people. ?
  
  
• From: gooseman (@ aca30683.ipt.aol.com) on: Tue May 28 00:11:12
  
  then why start the topic you oxymoron
  
  
• From: Sombu Nilagreiser (@ adsl-81-41-111.asm.bellsouth.net) on: Fri May 31 22:42:05
  
  I think, an average citizen of Tamil Nadu is busy with his life and has other priorities. Here, we post these messages to get a "kick" out of others' reaction and resort to cheap thrill out of insulting some other group.
  Here most of the cast names that you see are because of the "requirement" for first, middle, last names. I don't think those that use iyer, iyengar etc. have become any more religeous than they were before or the non-brahmins have become any less. In fact, my experience during the past 30 years has been that more non-brahmins have become regular temple visitors perhaps reflecting their need to socialize rather than to accept brahminism or hinduism. I also see that Indians here are lot more conservative than the indians in India. That only goes to show that our clock has slowed down and we relish nostalgia.
  
  
• From: viko (@ sja-179-37.tm.net.my) on: Mon Jun 10 12:00:35
  
  dei india pun'dekgela pudengida nengaelamm
  
  
• From: r.mohan (@ ) on: Thu Jul 11 06:04:57
  
  fantastic analysis, thought provking ideas every one should fully understand the logics behind these acts." slaves to continue as slaves only"
  
  
• From: Krishna (@ 61.11.27.238) on: Fri Jul 26 05:15:22
  
  I think that those who went to north (most are brahmins) might have started writing their surname as Iyer and Iyengar.
  
  It is very common in north (or the whole of india except Tamil nadu) to use surname.
  
  If you dont have a surname, people might think that u are from a low caste and hence you do not want to tell others about your surname.
  
  I am a non-brahmin and a kshatriya . i guess that many people think that i am from a low caste and has been treating me like that(some what)
  
  So even i think it would have been better to have surname. Whereever whenever i told who i am i got more respect. So my suspicien was right.
  
  When every one is having a sword/knife and it is better for us also to keep it until every one have it. Or may be we tamils are setting an example( of not using surname/caste name) , that will be followed by other regions of india and rest of the world.
  
  First of all there should be a standard for name that is uniform through out the world.
  
  Nanri vanakkam
  
  Krishna
  
  
• From: malar (@ dialpool-210-214-210-95.maa.sify.net) on: Sat Jul 27 08:31:39
  
  tamil naykala,uripidiana vela parungada...
  
  
• From: Sombu (@ adsl-81-43-135.asm.bellsouth.net) on: Sun Jul 28 12:32:40
  
  Are some of the recent postings missing?
  
  

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