'One can have no surname, but caste records are a must'

My father, Madanmohan, was a journalist and ateacher and he didn't believe in surnames. He was influenced by the reformmovements of the 1910-20 that worked towards achieving social equality. Therewere many like him at that time who had dropped their surnames.Both my children don't use their surnames. My son usesmy name as his second name while my daughter uses her husband's.Our family is one of the respected families in Meerut. No one has ever asked us about our caste. As it is, I feel Indians readily accept things as they are. But yes, while I was serving abroad as a diplomat, many people were inquisitive as to why my name sounded different from other Indians. They thought it was unique. Many of them wanted to understand the social system in India through my example. The experience of my five brothers who have stayed in India throughout has been different — they have never been questioned about their surname by anyone.My father was a teacher inMeerut for some time. Many of his students followed his example and droppedtheir second names.Caste and caste census are completelydifferent subjects. It is a personal issue whether one uses his or her surname(but) caste enumeration is a national issue. Whether we use our caste as surnamewith our name or not, there must be a record somewhere of how many people arethere in India from which caste. It'll help in affirmative action.