Talk:P. Rajagopalachari

Rajagopala Achariyar
I just found that someone had added "Rajagopalachari also known as Rajagopala Achariyar". The "-ar" suffix is only used as a mark of respect and is not a part of his name. If this particular spelling has been picked up from the London Gazette, then please bear in mind that English spellings of Indian names during the British period were highly inconsistent. So, you have the place Kumbakonam which was spelt as Kumbakonam, Coombaconum, Cambaconum and what not. I have a book from the year 1765 which uses the spelling Sasturangol while referring to Sastras. The author had derived this spelling from the Tamil term Sastirangal which is the plural for Sastra. Similarly, the book uses the spelling Ishuren for Easwaran. Well, there were a hundred odd spellings for Indian names during the British era. However, to replicate the same mistake here would be as ridiculous as starting a Wikipedia articles as "Peter, also called Mr. Peter was a ..." or something like that.- Ravichandar My coffee shop 17:42, 5 December 2008 (UTC)

The name Rajagopalachari is a combination of Rajagopala, another name for Lord Krishna and Achari, an Iyengar surname meaning "teacher". The "-ar" suffix and "Avergal" suffix are mainly used as a mark of respect and is akin to an Englishman using a Mr., Master or Ms. The only place where this particular spelling was used was in an issue of the London Gazette. It was not in popular usage at all- Ravichandar My coffee shop 17:50, 5 December 2008 (UTC)
 * Actually, it was also used in his obituary in The Times, which is entitled "Sir P. Rajagopala Achariyar. An Able Madrasi Civilian"! I think you are forgetting that Indians at that time functioned in the wider milieu of the British Empire and if the British called him that and he was effectively a British official then it should be recorded. It may have been etymologically incorrect, but its use is still a fact. I do accept that British spellings of Indian names were highly inconsistent, but if he is referred to as P. Rajagopala Achariyar in a British text and somebody is trying to find him on Wikipedia then we are doing them a disservice by not including that name. -- Necrothesp (talk) 09:24, 9 December 2008 (UTC)

Cherayi Ramadas (talk) 16:08, 31 October 2010 (UTC)== name of Sir P.Rajagopalachari ==

At the Kerala State Archives I have seen many documents   written by P.Rajagopalachari as the Diwan of the erstwhile Cochin State and as the Ag. Head Asst. Collector of the Malabar District. On that pages he spelled his name as' P.Rajagopala  Chari '. Ravichandarji, please let me know the publishers of the book " Flashing Ayyangar- The Life And Times Of P.Rajagopalachari , 1864-1927 ". I ( Cherayi Ramadas, Cochin , Kerala , Mobile : 9495600605 ) am researching on his official period in Cochin and Travancore. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Cherayi Ramadas (talk • contribs) 16:03, 31 October 2010 (UTC)