Nameplate

Sometime back I asked a friend who was going to be married whether she is going to change her surname or not. To that she replied "Why should I? Am I a nameplate? U take your father's surname and people call you to be his daughter. Then you take your husband's surname and people call you his wife. Then you have a son and people call you his mother. In all this process where is the "I" - why cant I be known by my name? Does it matter if I want to keep my father's surname  or simply dont keep a surname at all? To all of you out here will you think I am a different person if I change my surname? I guess no. I like to be what I am. To the world I would like to be known by my own identity not with that of someone else's."

I asked the same question to another girl. She replied "Well, I might change my surname in social networking sites. It looks different. But please dont ask me to change in the official docs. I will get screwed. I dont have patience to go through the laborious process of changing it in passport, pan card etc etc."

I asked the same thing to few guys . Some of them replied "its her life, I will let her decide. She will be mine thats what matters. Surname doesnt". Some agreed that changing surname in official docs is quite painful.

There are lots of views about a surname change. As it is happening from age old days people cant quite accept it properly at least the elders in the family. To them it is being more modern than is needed.

 I remember a senior of mine once pointed out that there is no law which states that the girl should change her surname. It is being done since ages when women were not considered to be any significant one of the society. They would always have to be associated with a male member's identity be it her father,husband or son. Her life was nothing but a nameplate. But now the days have changed. We should allow a woman to take the final call as to what she want herself to be introduced as. Be it working or non working all woman should have the right to decide her identity. And the society should show respect to her decision.