08-05-2006, 02:10 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><!--QuoteBegin--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->In Tamil Nadu one's surname is often the father's first name, so that lasts all about one generation.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->That is interesting, is it the same among Srilankan Tamils as well because I know one Srilankan Christian Tamil who uses his fathers first name (Jayarajah) as his last name<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->None of the Srilankan Tamil families I know do this, but since you've identified one instance, it might occur occasionally among them too.
Or maybe it's for entirely different reasons in his case. As he's a Sri Lankan Christian Tamil, he might have had a Hindu surname before - say, for instance, the name of a local Deity - and he might not have wanted it any more (not approving of it).
Or maybe it's for entirely different reasons in his case. As he's a Sri Lankan Christian Tamil, he might have had a Hindu surname before - say, for instance, the name of a local Deity - and he might not have wanted it any more (not approving of it).