Kevan Umrigar | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Kevan Umrigar is a writer and documentary filmmaker based in Mumbai. He is also a surname analyst, i.e. he researches Parsi surnames to find out their historical background, including where their families came from, their great-grandparents, occupations, etc. He regularly gives presentations and talks at various community gatherings in Mumbai and Pune. Currently, Kevan is in Hyderabad to give a talk on ‘The Bizarre History of Parsi Surnames’ on June 9 at the invitation of the Parsi community at the Sports Complex of the Zoroastrian Club in Secunderabad.
Kevan has always been interested in surnames. “Not just Parsi surnames. I was also fascinated by the idea of ​​surnames. Usually people ask what someone’s name means. I used to quietly wonder what that person’s surname meant,” he says.
He turned his fascination into a personal research project and quietly learned about interesting facts about people’s surnames. “Surnames give a lot of information about the history of a community. It tells us about our ancestors, heritage and other things. It also helps us identify where we come from. For example, it tells us about its social structure, networks and occupation,”
Discussion of nicknames and crowd with Kevan
Though Kevan talks about surnames in a light-hearted manner, he does not joke about any surname. “If someone wants, they can take it in the right spirit and laugh at it. However, it is not my idea to joke about surnames. My project became a topic of discussion for students during Covid-19. I was surprised that many people approached me to know a little history of their surnames. This gave me an opportunity to know beyond Parsi surnames,” says Kevan.
