(1 Oct 2021) In the Western tradition of names, the last part of a name is traditionally understood as a surname. However, Indian naming conventions are much more complex.
The study of Indian names brings to light some of the difficulties catalogers and indexers may come across in the course of their work. Dr. SR Ranganathan identified some of the challenges in determining the proper form of entering a personal name for non-European languages for cataloguers and indexers if they are not familiar with the language.
The diversity in the Indian naming conventions with the abundance of names affects the way in which resources are discovered. As a result, there is a need for standardization to help with the creation of uniform access points.
Malarvele Ilangovan, Senior Librarian of National Library Board Singapore takes the reader through the background and different variations of Indian names here.
