Here's Why Shristy Gupta Changed Her Name To Sonyaa Ayodhya

Actress Sonyaa, who is currently seen on the supernatural show, 'Nazar', has changed her surname. She felt that her original surname — Gupta — brought caste consciousness and hence, decided to drop it. The actress has now started using her late grandfather's name, Ayodhya, as a tribute to him. Sonyaa says, "I feel that surname gives away not just your caste, but also your standing in the social order. Sometimes, it reflects a person's economic status as well. I find it absurd. I don't believe in anything that discriminates humans, be it religion or caste. I strongly feel that surname should not be used as a benchmark to check whether someone is superior or not. That's why I decided to drop my surname."

Since the last name is mandatory on social networking profiles, Sonyaa randomly entered Pink as her surname. This created a lot of confusion. "I added Pink on an impulse, but it resulted in a lot of confusion with people actually taking it as my surname," she says, adding, "I never got to meet my grandparents and I don't know much about them. So, as a tribute to my grandfather, I started using his name as my last name. It makes me feel connected to my roots. Now, I am Sonyaa Ayodhya."