This post is a warning to all those would-be Tamilian mothers and fathers. The issue is serious and after 15 or so years, if you don't pay heed to what I'm going to say, you'll look seriously funny.
Think of the names given to the kids today. The North Indian influence is so much so that the names like Ramakrishnans, Narayanans, Prabhakarans, and Sampaths have given way to names like Rahul, Rohit, Amit, Abhishek, Arun, etc. There is a serious repercussion to this because, we Tamilians, generally don't have last names or sur names. Our father's name is the surname in our passports. Think what will happen if a Rahul grows to 25 and fathers a son named Rohit (the fad for these names don't seem to die in the near future). What will be the name of the kid in his school or in the passport? "Rohit Rahul".
The kid will definitely attract strange looks and may be further questioning from North Indians who may ask the kid for his full name again. His passport might be denied citing that full name was not given! Now that some of us put father's name first and our name next, like "N Prabhakar" or "Narayanan Prabhakar", his friends might be confused as to which one was his first name. And instead of calling him, they could well be calling his father!
There are 2 ways to stop this problem, which is set to create a widespread discontentment.
1) Use traditional names for your kids
I don't agree that these are sanskrit names and should be embraced by one and all. No, these are not. These don't follow the rules of samskrutham. If I've to add, these names are 'urdu'ised sanskrit names! If you really wanted a sanskrit name, you wouldn't name your kid as Abhishek. Instead you would name him 'Abhishekam'! Does that sound good? I know it doesn't! But Abhishekam in Sanskrit is neutral gender. So, we can call him "Abhishekaha" to make it masculine and even more funnier! Now, take your pick.
2) If you insist that you'll only give such fancy names, insist that his full name wouldn't expand (that his surname will be only one character!)
