Last names..

By a spate of comments, how many of you insist on calling people by their last names? Who are you people? I can emphatize with your cause if its your luck to have drawn and met people with such first names as Bartholomew or Sambasivam, but on your average day and when meeting with the average Colin Fitzwilliam, you dont have to go "Oh, i dont know, Mr. Fitzwilliam, but that was how i was addressed when i was brought up and that is how i will you."

To explain things easier, i pick the thing that comes to mind readily.
Cricket commentators already suffer when referring to Waugh... if it is slip catching and lazy grace and elegance, we know they are on the "Mark" and if it is about steely grit, it sure is "Steve". Otherwise, it is difficult. Why cant they just say Steve and Mark?

Calling Anil and Mukesh, "Ambani" would do disservice to Dhirubhai. And why should a certain Patrick cash in on the surname "McEnroe"???

However, regards "Bush", both father and son have the same traits, ie, the world hates them, and it makes little difference anyway, so it is ok. And both wives must be livid, when called "Ms Bush" (joke intended)

First names are cool and easy, and moreover, its urs, so that way you know they are addressing you.

Most of the world except perhaps some places in south india emphasise on surnames. For instance, Ramesh Nihalani would definitely respond if someone calls him Nihalani, but I would look elswehere if someone calls me "Ramanan"!!

If south indians were addressed by surnames, it would be comical. Maharajapuram and Seerkazahi are accepted because the 2 men probably were the only known guys from these 2 villages in Tamilnadu. But think of Conjeevaram (Ramaswamy?) and Pondicherry (Sivasankaran?)..

There are also plentya personal experiences that tag along where i experienced this particlar problem, some pretty comical.

I kinda received a letter some 2 years ago from a US University confirming my admission. It read "Mr. Kripa Ramanan. Congrats" and so forth. And my dad is like " Wow.. You write the exams, apply and stuff, and i get an admit. Thats cool".

And we should all have 1 last name man.. Not 2 last names..like mine, Kripa Ramanan... I know!!!! Blame my grandfather.

I remember applying for a credit card when i told my first and last names to a dood that was typin stuff to enter my details. And i got a letter in the mail addressing me as "R Kripa Space Ramanan".

Of course, if you are a Telugu guy, all laws and restrictions, basically anything that makes sense do not apply to you and dont join my tirade. You better respond to whichever part of your name manages to escape out of others mouths. What the fuck are you people thinking, huh " Thirumala Venkateshwara SivaSubramanya Aditya Devarakonda", is without exaggeration, the name of a good friend of mine. We didnt remain friends for long becuase he didnt find my takes on his namessss funny. "Srinivas NagaVenkata Gundapathula" or " Vangipurappu VenkataSai Laxman" maybe easier comparitively but drive the person thats listening/ calling your name crazy. By a certain oddity, have you observed 'Venkat' figures prominently in every Telugu name. Its no coincidence. Thats their beleif. Every good name should have one. "Srini or Venkat". Hearsay has it they wanted to rename " Andhra Pradesh" into "Venkatesh". Thats it, just that, like Bangladesh, and people outside of AP shouldnt be allowed to use it.

And the auto process of having ur dad's name as ur last name sucks. I really say that. I had a neighbour who got married to one " Madhu Thyagarajan" and ppl call her " Mrs. Thyagarajan" -Thyagarajan who is her dead pop-in-law she's never met in life. That screws relationships all over man. People should ban that.

My friend writes his name as Rohan Arjun Karthik, and sometimes as Karthik Rohan Arjun. He bet me 50 bucks i cant guess his first name, ( not that he was gonna admit if i did). Rohan is his name and Karthik is his dad's name and Arjun it seems is his family name. Can it BE more confusing?

This acquaintance of mine Vijay Immanuel, who originally sent me a hilarious piece on a conversation between an Indian and American data collector, had this to say when i asked him about it. He seconds my opinion and recollects the problem he had in getting his details - the spelling and stuff - through. And i thought it was pretty funny.

Vijay says " It is not only u..Even I (Who does not have my father's name nor my house name) have to go thru it very often.
IMMANUEL.....spelt as Imman vel (As in Vel Murugan)
Apparently, this dint work, and i try another angle "Manual...Immanuel with an E, i.e
Emmanuel...etc .and so on."
People do not seem to be giving respect to ones names!...no matter what it is."

Right on mark, Manny.