What’s in a name? Well, quite a lot, to be honest

I MIGHT have a slightly unhealthy attachment to my surname.

I express that with absolute humility because it represents a deep part of who I am.

My father passed away when I was too young to store any memories of him, so I have always felt that I carry his legacy in my surname.

I realise that surnames carry a sense of identity.

They speak about origins, which is a very personal topic for me.

I must be blunt and state that I strongly feel that the pride anyone carries about their surname must not function as an act of discrimination against others.

I say this emphatically because I once had a friend whose mother was extremely prejudiced about the topic of surnames, to the extent that she used this to influence who her daughter could date.

When I visited the Seychelles 10 years ago, there was a waitress who beamed with pride when she told me we shared a surname.

She was of mixed race, so I understood her excitement for a connection to a cultural heritage as complex and as rich as those of the Indian diaspora.

Back in school there was a classmate whose surname was similar to mine, except it was spelled with an ‘i’ at the end instead of ‘y’.

This small difference initiated a very immature pre-teen discussion about classism, which resulted in us not speaking for the rest of our schooling life. That moment was the first time I was exposed to the concept of surnames representing class.

As it does for most cultures across the globe, research indicates that surnames are actually clan names.

Wikipedia says Pillay or Pillai is “an ancient honourable surname given to the prince of the ruling family in Tamil dynasties and to prominent members of Vellalars caste. In recent times been the surname of various classes. Vellalar is derived from the Tamil word ‘Velanmai’, meaning agriculture.”

I personally don’t even think about caste because it is irrelevant in my life. To me, my surname is about heritage and the paternal link I cherish so deeply.

To share a little history lesson, the legend about South African Indian surnames goes like this:

Upon disembarking from the ships, a roll-call was done and indentured labourers (SA Indian ancestors) had to register themselves in English.

The pronunciation of their names differed from the actual spellings provided in translation, so there were some deviations from an original clan name.

The popular Tamil surnames in South Africa today are Govender, Naidoo, Naicker, Reddy, Pillay, Padayachee and Moodley.

There are certain instances where first names were used instead and are now recognised as surnames such as Soobramany and Perumal.

Some may argue that Govender is a variation of Gounder and that Naicker is derived from Nayakar.

I know that I am just a leaf on the great Pillay-tree and that I grow in a forest alongside other great trees.

As more cross-cultural and interracial marriages take place in South Africa, more women from other cultures now carry Tamil surnames.

The feminist within me wants to question why women are expected to give up their surnames in the first place but I also understand that this has been deemed culturally appropriate. I now have the deepest respect for doublebarrelled surnames.

I also know that my surname does not define who I truly am but it is very nice to feel like I belong to an age-old clan... Even if only by name.

To share your Tamil South African story, contact Nirvani Pillay on nirvanip@gmail. com.

Nirvani Pillay is a fourth generation South African of Tamil origin who wrote this article for Tamilculture.com.

Pillay moved from Durban to Johannesburg as a young adult and joined an ecotourism company where she now works as the PR manager. She has a BBA degree in marketing and is currently completing her honours in marketing management.