Sunjay Dutt’s comment about his sister Priya is now increasing the heat in the election fray. He says, ”Women should not stick to their father’s surname after marriage just for the sake of fashion. It will be a disrespect for their husbands if they do so. They must give up the father’s surname and adopt the husband’s surname.” Pffat! What an archaic view!
Funny, how a woman is forced to adopt one surname as a child, then change when you get married and carry the ‘pedigree’ like a burden on your shoulders. Why can’t we just choose the surname we like?– something alliterative, something meaningful, or like me, just dispense with it entirely!
Having said that, when it comes to famous people, name changes come about only if convenient. I often wonder if Indira Nehru would have changed her surname post marriage if Feroze Gandhi had a surname like Batliwala or Sodabottleopenerwala instead. Ditto if Aishwarya Rai had married someone called Banerjee or Ganjiwala.
Well, to each her own name. Let not society dictate and tie a woman with more bonds. Fly and enjoy the freedom. And for heaven’s sake, don’t ask me how I get past the internet forms without filling in the surname column. More later!
