India is a home of almost all major religions of the world and Indian system of name giving is considered to be highly specialized. Besides bestowing a personal name to an individual, a surname is suffixed or prefixed in order to assign membership of a cohesive group. This surname may be a totemic name representing a lineage, a clan, a phratry, a descent but reflective of individual’s soci0-religious standing within the group. In the book encyclopaedia of Indian Surnames all attempts have been made to collect the genesis of the surnames from different regions and groups of people of India. The collection of such information is spread over more than twenty years of consistent efforts demanding to deal with a large body of data and material besides sifting from available literature to collect the information desired for preparing the compendium. In dealing with a large body of literature and material, errors and omissions are unavoidable. Information, suggestions, observations, criticisms and advice are welcome from our enlightened readers.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR S H M Rizvi
Dr. Syed Hasan Mujtaba Rizvi (Ph. D., University of Delhi) is a research anthropologist and has carried out empirical studies in the field of bio-cultural anthropology among the tribes, and Muslims of northern, western, north-western and north-eastern India. He, along with Dr. Shibani Roy, has written eleven books based upon original research. One of the Professor Emeritus (Anthropology) while reviewing his books stated that ".this indicates his understanding of the subject of anthropology in totality and in modern anthropological world, works of such nature are always encouraged."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Shibani Roy
Shibani Roy was born and brought up at Delhi. Her schooling had been at the Lady Irwin School and Post-School studies from Miranda House. She received her B.Sc. (Hons.) Degree in Anthropology in 1967 and Master Degree from the same Discipline specializing in SocialAnthropology. After a year of research work in the field of "Consanguinity among Muslims of North India", she joined department of Anthropology as a Ph.D. student in 1970 and was awarded the Ph.D. Degree in 1976. She was a part-time lecturer in Lady Irwin college, New Delhi, teaching post graduate classes during 1972-73. She was the recipient of senior research fellowship of C.S.I.R. for her project entitled "Changes in value Orientation of contemporary Muslims" carried out amongst the Bohras of Bombay. Her articles in Hindustan Times and Youth Times equally provoked the social scientists and laymen and made them have a new perspective towards this minority community. From 1976 to 1978 she had been actively engaged in a project on female fertility financed by World Health Organization. The entire work had been centred around Rajput Women of Rajasthan. At present she is holding the post of Assistant Anthropologist (Cultural) with the Anthropological Survey of India, Government of India. She has participated in national and international seminars and has a few publication to her credit in the field of Muslim women. Dr. Shibani roy has further stepped into the secluded privacy of the Muslims by marrying a Muslim fellow anthropologist and has a daughter.
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