A names gives a person an identity, but who knew that just a name would be the main reason for all his troubles. 25-year-old Saddam Hussain, a marine engineer from Jamshedpur in Jharkhand, is facing the burden of his name. He passed out from Tamil Nadu’s Noorul Islam University two years ago, but even till date, he has not been able to find a job for himself due to his name that he shares with the former Iraqi ruler who was executed in 2006.
Saddam claims he has appeared for over 40 interviews with multinational shipping companies but has been rejected every single time. He adds that people are scared to hire him. While all his batchmates around the world have got jobs, he remains unemployed. He claims that when he inquired with the HR departments of the companies, he was told that his name was the problem as having a crew member with a name that arouses instant suspicion could be an operational nightmare.
On realising what actually was hampering his growth, he reached the court filing an appeal to get his name changed. His name was then changed to Sajid and even got his documents, including passport, voter ID and driving licence changed according to his new name.
However, his university has refused to change his name until he gets his Class 10 and 12 exam certificates changed. Though he has knocked the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) doors too, no action has been taken yet. In the absence of education documents under his new name, prospective employers are staying away from appointing him.
Sajid has now moved the Jharkhand High Court seeking intervention to direct the CBSE to change his name but the court, too, is taking a cautious step.
