Talk:Arvind (computer scientist)

Why one word name?
Arvind appears to have only one name, even for such things as journal articles. Any explanation for this? Other people who share this characteristic? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 91.32.84.2 (talk) 14:36, 29 December 2007 (UTC)


 * I'm told that it's because certain kinds of Indian names are thoroughly incompatible with Western names. As there is no name that could reasonably be considered their "surname", some (such as Arvind) simply go without having a surname.  r speer  / ɹəəds ɹ  18:38, 8 February 2008 (UTC)


 * Here (a reference from the page) it is written: "Arvind, Charles W." as a person who became new member. --Mitar (talk) 21:38, 8 December 2010 (UTC)


 * Well, no: he is the Johnson professor, and the full title of the endowment is the "Charles W and Jennifer C Johnson Chair of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science", hence the wording in your ref.
 * To reply to the original question, Indians often have such low expectations of westerners abilities to pronounce their names they often prefer (insist on, in some cases) to use some two-syllable version of it instead. Moonraker12 (talk) 12:13, 19 January 2011 (UTC)

All of the preceding bogus theories aside, he has used the surname Mithal in all of his recent patents and some recent business dealings, and his wife also uses that surname more publicly. There is nothing unusual or overly complex about the name; however, he seems to like the mystique of having just one name. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Kerfuffler (talk • contribs) 23:26, 26 January 2012 (UTC)

I've heard from colleagues (computer science professors) that Indian surnames often tell the caste, to which Arvind opposes. I don't know if this is true or just one of the "bogus theories", but if it is true, we should consider deleting his surname in this entry, too. Esumii (talk) 12:00, 22 January 2015 (UTC)

I have talked to Arvind personally, and it is true he (and some other Indians around his generation) chooses to not use his last name as a way of showing distaste of the caste system. He corrects people pretty sternly when they address him as Prof. Mithal. I think we definitely should remove his last name from the entry, or at least describe why he chooses not to use it. (I don't have an id...) 5:11, 16 May 2015

Biographical detail
On a different note, this could do with some improvement; it currently reads like a CV. Does anyone have a source for biographical material? Age, where born, where educated, full name, that sort of stuff? Moonraker12 (talk) 12:16, 19 January 2011 (UTC)

Prank?
Is this one of those elaborate MIT pranks, or what? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 108.7.150.221 (talk) 22:56, 12 February 2012 (UTC)

No, it's one of “those” MIT eccentricities. Granted, it's sometimes hard to tell the difference. Kerfuffler (talk) 17:06, 9 May 2012 (UTC)

If it's not a prank then what is a "Johnson Professor?" — Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.171.109.169 (talk) 03:48, 23 November 2013 (UTC)


 * @68.171.109.169 Just coming across this after the news Arvind died. Higher education has something called "endowed professorships", where someone donates a substantial amount of money whose investment returns are enough to pay some or all of a professor's salary or cover other professional costs. Many endowed professorships are named after the donor, in this case a donor with the last name Johnson.
 * It obviously makes no sense to someone who doesn't know it exists, moreso for roles endowed by companies. Someone could be the "Motorola Chair of Computer Science". 2601:19C:4001:F20:5552:45CD:5E11:FFD (talk) 20:12, 18 June 2024 (UTC)

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Death
He died this morning. An announcement is expected from the MIT News Office shortly. It has been a huge blow to his colleagues, who were at their summer retreat. 207.180.169.36 (talk) 00:07, 18 June 2024 (UTC)