15 Jan How Changing My Surname Nearly Destroyed My Life | Name Change Process Help in India
The Two Friends and Arjun's Real-Life Experiences
It was an evening of celebration, and an old but formidable house in Lucknow was brilliantly decorated with lights, while fireworks crackled through the pitch-dark sky. It was the 5th wedding anniversary of Arjun Sharma and his wife, Deepika. Many guests were invited, including a few childhood friends of Arjun.
Viraat, a close friend of Arjun’s, had come back home after taking a break from work. Viraat, an IT professional, was seated with Arjun on the second-floor drawing room, where the two were reminiscing about their childhood. Born and raised together in the same village in Lucknow, Arjun and Viraat now both worked as senior IT professionals.
Arjun said, “I’m happy that you delayed your marriage but made your career solid at the organization. I had to face a disastrous experience five years ago.” Viraat, curious, asked, “What happened?” Arjun replied, “Do you think that a lawyer, just a simple name-change affidavit, or some fake websites can help you? Fool, you don’t know the real truth behind the curtain.”
Viraat, newly married and ready to change his surname after marriage, asked, “But I just want to change my surname to Sharma, like yours. What’s the problem with that?” Arjun, looking serious, said, “It’s not that simple, Viraat. You need to know the proper procedures and choose a genuine agency.” Viraat argued, “I just want to adopt my wife’s surname as a sign of unity, like you did.”
Arjun, laughing, said, “You know, it’s funny how both of our names match with the great number 18. But this isn’t about numbers. It’s about the process.” Viraat replied, “Exactly! I want to change my surname as a gesture of unity, not because of any coincidence.”
Arjun’s expression changed as he continued, “I thought the same way, but believe me, it’s not easy. I almost lost my career and my family due to this.” Viraat, intrigued, leaned in closer and asked, “What happened?” Arjun took a glass of cold water, took a deep breath, and said, “You will have to listen to my story. But, don’t interrupt until I finish.”
How Changing My Surname Almost Ruined My Life - Until I Found Real Help.
Arjun stood thoughtful a moment, then flushed atop himself. It nearly ruined my life--do you know?--until I discovered real help, by changing my surname, he said. My previous name was Arjun Kumar, and the current name is Arjun Sharma. Kumar was my family surname, however, following the marriage, I had to change my surname to Sharma, which is the surname of my wife, as I had to carry on the family name.
It appeared to be a simple choice at the beginning. But after I got into the process I found out that I was not right.
It All Began With a Simple Idea.
After coming home one night, I informed Deepika that I have decided to change my surname to that of Deepika. The concept appeared to be innocuous, merely a change in name. I assumed that it was going to be as simple as I needed to complete a few forms but I quickly found out that was much more involved than I could have expected.
I knew nothing about the right way of doing things, and it was a nightmare.
The Nightmare Begins
I began to question everyone around me; friends, workmates and family members, no one could give a definite answer. Each one of them disagreed with me, and I got even more lost. In frustration, I turned to Google but that only confounded me further. I came across a kill of perplexing language such as Bangalore Gazette, District court, Affidavit and Newspaper Publication- none of which made sense.
I attempted to find the right way, yet every site I was on provided me with various instructions. I was caught in a rut not knowing what direction to go.
The Document Disaster
My initial challenge was that I was not ready to find out that I lacked all the required documents. One of my neighbors informed me that I would require my original birth certificate. It was a surprise--I was now in Bangalore, and the birth certificate was in Lucknow.
I simply could not afford to go back and even had I been able to, I thought the time and money was too great a burden. By this time I was ignoring my job and my wife. I was obsessed with the idea of changing my name. At one evening my wife suggested that I call my mother back home in Lucknow to assist me. This was a moment of hope.
When I talked to my mother, I was upset to know that the birth certificate was in the possession of my aunt. She had cautioned me that it would be dangerous to send the original documents. However, we discovered a safer alternative: my younger brother could gather the documents, scan them and send them to me via email. I was still concerned about the security of the process, but I had no option except to go ahead with it.
The scans were not clear, but I believed it would be good enough. I believed that I was prepared, and then I would see how mistaken I was.
The Affidavit Confusion
One of my colleagues provided me with the contacts of a lawyer, and I believed it would be the answer to everything. But the attorney charged 25000 to simply write the affidavit. He added another 10,000 as notarization. I was amazed and rejected his offer.
So I spent hours searching sample affidavits forms on the Internet. The rest were in Latin, others in strange number systems. I attempted to write the affidavit myself but the notary rejected it. In the case of Karnataka, he said that I would have to write about the local Gazette office and add my Aadhar and PAN details in a more official language.
When I re-went and re-written the affidavit, I had believed I had got it all right. However, it turned out that I was not through with my steps.
Circuit-Dancing with Government Buildings.
I then went to the office of the Bangalore Gazette. I managed to get to the right desk after unsuccessful search of finding the right desk. But the clerks were cold and unassisting. They flicked my questions aside with noncommittal answers and I went away worse than ever.
I went back a number of times; each time I went there came no assistance, only bewilderment.
A Light out of a Golden Door.
One evening then I talked to an old neighbor who had served in the Gazette office. He heard me out, and in the first time, somebody wanted to see my documents. He had walked me through the process of changing my name step by step and explained it to me.
However, suddenly, he started crying. He told us about his daughter who had attempted to change her name when she got married, but unfortunately died in a road accident when she had come to the Gazette office. It was a tragic tale, and in that instant I saw how much this process had cost me, time, energy, and attention, and yet this man was ready to assist.
More Mistakes, More Lessons
Through him, I was able to end up doing the affidavit and putting the relevant ads up. Nevertheless, the process was not completed yet. I wasted hours of my time going round agencies, and bargaining on prices, and red tape.
The name change process had required me nearly three months to complete. This period was characterized by nearly losing my job, separation of my wife and reduced mental state. I was almost losing everything to get a name changed.
Turning Point: How changeofname.in Made My Name Change Process Easy and Fast in India
I was about to give up when my neighbor came up to me and handed me a piece of paper, and said, Changeofname.in. It’s reliable.” The skeptical yet desperate I tried it once more.
After 10 days, I made the complete change of name and the official notification of the change of name was given in the Bangalore gazette for name change- something which I had been finding hard to get.
The Sweet Victory
I went back to my office with the gazette notification for name change declaration in my hand. My boss was shocked but he informed me to visit the HR and update my records. This is your fresh start.”
Conclusion: My Advice to You
When you have to change your name in any part of India, do not waste your time or money, like I did. Let the experts handle it. I would have liked to have heard about changeofname.in earlier. It would have spared me months of confusion and anger.
When you actually decide to change that name you have, do not do it by yourself. Go to changeofname.in and hand it over to the professionals.