Hindu names for Kashmiri Muslims (Was: Nehru-Gandhi dynasty)

[Professor D N Jha]

Could we derive the surname Gandhi from the word 'gandhika'(perfumers) which
occurs in the inscriptions of the early centuries BC/AD ?
D.N.Jha
----- Original Message -----
From: Samar Abbas <abbas at IOPB.RES.IN>
To: <INDOLOGY at LISTSERV.LIV.AC.UK>
Sent: Friday, August 11, 2000 11:27 AM
Subject: Re: Hindu names for Kashmiri Muslims (Was: Nehru-Gandhi dynasty)


> On Thu, 10 Aug 2000, Allen W Thrasher wrote:
> > The idea that the Nehrus were Muslims seems pretty absurd to me, but I
> > want to take issue with one contention: ... Whether it's forbidden or
> > not, I have met or read of Kashmiri Muslims .. with what one would
> > usually consider Hindu family names, such as Bhat, or even Shaiva.
>
> Yes, that is correct. some Kashmiri Muslims follow the anomalous custom of
> preserving their Hindu names - Dar, Bhat etc. As a result, their
> `conversion' is often doubted by more Orthodox Muslims. It is said that
> these persons are converts from the recent 1990s jihad. Those with
> authentic Muslim names are said to be the ancestral Kashmiri Muslims.
>
>  But despite that, `Nehru' still does not fall in this category. There are
> no Muslim Gandhis and Nehrus. So the Hindutva site
> (http://swordoftruth.com) claiming that Pandit Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi
> were Muslims is wrong.
>
> Best Regards,
> Samar
>