My name UNKNOWN (Part 2 )

This is a followup blog from my previous blog titled 'My name UNKNOWN (Part 1)'

So after a lot of panicking and fretting about, I had decided to go down to the Trichy passport office to get my passport amended. My search on the internet revealed to me that there were a plethora of options to get it done and each one more different than the other. It seemed like nobody knew what the system was, or rather each one had their own interpretation of what the system ought to be.

So, I rejoiced. I hoped that lady luck would smile upon me. And ....... I was wrong.

The Trichy passport office people had their own version of doing things. Totally different from the rest of India and not surprisingly the most screwed up as well. They basically commanded me to apply for a new passport, complete with reams of documents and making my pocket about Rs 3 Grand lighter. I essentially felt helpless. It seemed like Trichy was under the regime of some psycho monarch, who somehow did not believe that his domain came under the jurisdiction of the Republic of India.

And I had to oblige. After lots of running around. Getting tonnes of xeroxes, signatures from profs, affidavits from lawyers, talking to old people, I was ready and armed.

I headed down to the passport office, early in the morning, stood in the line, did everything they asked me to, and a couple of hours later, I was out. Sans my old passport but with a receipt that guaranteed a new passport with the correct details. And my my, the new passport arrived in the mail in just two days...!!!! ( :D :D :D )

Honestly, tears came to my eyes, when I held the beauty in my eyes. However unnerving the entire experience was, holding the new passport in my hands was totally worth it. Jai Ho...!!!

Senti Blog

Disclaimer : This is a senti blog. Be advised.

How long I have waited for this day to arrive. Now that it has arrived, somehow the sheen seems to have worn off. I wish I could feel otherwise but the truth is that I don't want to leave. I wish the end were somehow delayed.

I never thought that I would end up feeling this way. It's not that I am all steel inside. I am susceptible to the emotions of separation too. But, for NITT, never thought it would happen. Having spent the major part thinking of my undergraduate life as a passing phase, planning for the next better part, I thought leaving this place would be a breeze. That clearly wasn't the case. I'm surprised, that I couldn't see in plain view, how much of an impact these four years have had on me.

I learnt what true friends look like. I learnt that ragging is not such a big deal. I learnt how to keep my chin down. I saw extreme brilliance, total dedication, complete madness and true passion. I met people from all walks of life. I realised that it was OK to have an opinion. I realised that there will always be some people won't like you (god bless them) and there will be those who you can count on no matter what. I came a wide eyed boy and left slightly wiser.

I have no hesitation in proclaiming this an end of an era. Truly the end of an era. Everything will be so much different from now on. I have a PAN card, I am liable to be taxed. "You are an adult now", that's the message screamed at you from a million directions. Ya, I know it's all a part of growing up. And some of you oldies, who have been there done that, will be probably be quietly smiling to yourselves and thinking, "there goes another guy, getting all senti".

Well this is me. All senti.

My name UNKNOWN ( Part 1 )

As is the case with many young folk in the subcontinent, I have been smitten by the desire to 'study some more'. And as is the case with most young folk, I have decided to 'study some more' in the US. Well all was seemingly going on the right track, when one day I received an email from the university I will be heading to. Apparently following the guidelines of the US department of homeland security, they thought that there was something wrong with my name.

There was certainly no 'Mohammed' nor any 'Singh' in my name. So I was evidently surprised. At first, my surprise turned into laughter. Seriously, I thought it was very funny. The thing is this:

My name is 'Subhodeep Moitra'.
First name 'Subhodeep'
Surname 'Moitra'.

The problem is in my passport. Due to some historical 'F***ups' and some quirks in the thought process of south Indian passport officials , my surname field is blank in my passport and my whole name 'Subhodeep Moitra' is entered in the given name column. This is absolutely unacceptable to the protocol driven folk in the US. Not having a surname is a mortal sin. I was all ready to brush it aside as a trivial issue when I thought I should talk to the univ people. What transpired in that five minute conversation shook my establishment and destroyed my peace and feeling of well being for the next few weeks.

They told me that I basically had two options.
1. Amend the name in my passport.
2. Go ahead with no surname and face the consequences.

Both options were actually no options

1. Amending the passport was an impossibility. My previous experience(2 years ago) with the Indian passport office at Trichy had left me so bitter that I had sworn never to step back into that dungeon.

2. Not doing anything about my name was even more sucky. I could go ahead and apply for my visa but the US embassy guys would do something really clever. They would shift my entire name 'Subhodeep Moitra' into the surname column and put a FNU (First name unknown) stamp on my visa. And since the passport and the visa are the only two documents that the folk in the US recognize, I would be known as 'Mr FNU Subhodeep Moitra' for the rest of my life. And the best part is that all this name correction business could not be done in the US. Once you landed there, you would be FNU.

Imagine, my predicament. I was seriously nursing the idea of being FNU. Imagine what my friends would say, "Hey meet my best buddy, his name is UNKNOWN". And at other more personal moments, if I scream "say my name, say my name..!", an "FNU..!" would certainly dampen the proceedings. Certainly not a rosy prospect. Plus there are other more serious issues as well that cannot be compromised with, such as refusing to be granted a SSN (Social security number), driving licence, etc.

So after much delibration, lots of googling and going through edu forums I decided to go in for name correction.

More on my experiences at the Trichy passport office in the next blog titled 'My name UNKNOWN ( Part 2 )