[dilawar]

He probably means northern part of India. Surnames are more emphasised in the South than North.

I think it started when British started asking for surnames in job application in colonial India. South Indiana took their birthplace as surname along with caste name. In North, Singh and Kumar were used as surnames. Caste names became quite popular in late 20th century.

Before British, I am not sure if surnames were common anywhere in India. Would be a lovely study in history.