‘What’s in a name?’

1. I was born as 'Arastu Hasan Jowher'

2. My SBI branch in Ahmedabad didn't understand "Arastu" and so despite my intently legible handwriting, they made my bank account in the name of 'Prastu Hasan Jowher'

3. Later in life, I felt a strong urge to change my middle name to my mom’s first name and hence become ‘Arastu Zakia Jowher' but the Courts rejected my appeal saying I can control my first and last names but my middle name had to be my father's name. However, while taking my driver's license, they didn't ask me for any prior proofs and hence I wrote my name as 'Arastu Zakia Jowher'. The man at the counter must have thought how "Zakia" - a woman's name can be my middle name! Hence he decided to make my license 'Arastu Zakir Jowher'.

4. My Voter card (a document infamous for being the worst with regards to accuracy) lists me as 'Jowher Arastu Hasanbhai'

5. On non-legal platforms like Facebook, I name myself 'Arastu Zakia', which is actually the name I would choose, if my country allowed me to choose what I should be called

6. But since my country doesn't allow me that freedom and given more developments that occurred in my life, I have been fighting another court case that would allow me to change my name everywhere to 'Arastu Zakia Nambiar'. It's been 2 years and counting. However, my LIC agent was sympathetic enough, understood the situation and got my policy in this name, which has since created problems because it doesn't match with other IDs.

I can't write my name as I want it to be anywhere, since it has to match other IDs. The law of the land/the people managing it, don't allow me to change my entire name to what I want it to be. Every single time I'm doing something that needs a government ID, my peace of mind gets screwed up and I always need to do something extra to get the job done. Every government website that has a 'change your name' application either doesn't work at all or is designed to have you fail!

I remember filling up my visa application after getting selected for the US State Department's IVLP Program, the US Govt forms had questions like: "Where were you born?" and the options included "At sea", "In the air". They had questions like "Father's name?" and options included "Don't know", "Don't want to reveal" (as far as I remember). That is respectful, that is encompassing, that makes citizens' lives easy. For a country with people as varied as ours, it is shameful how little freedom we are truly allowed.

This is what they'd rather have us do: Don't have unique names. Don't change your names ever and stay bound to your choiceless identity since birth, regardless of whatever happens in your life. And fight for every single error every official makes in every single ID of yours right then.

Aadmi ek aur naam 6, bohot nainsaafi hai!