Identity crisis is my first point of concern when I apply for an official identification document. Why? Well, there are a couple of reasons behind it. You will get to know some of them as you proceed further.

Identification documents are issued to prove the valid existence of a person in a country. In today’s date, I feel that this basic purpose of issuing identity proofs in India has dissolved somewhere. Just like missing the real flavour of a healthy dish in between all the spiciness . This happened mostly due to complicating the identification process and it’s laws in the name of technology. The rest credit goes to a certain level of callous attitude in the people who issue these documents.

Anyway, this post is not about criticising the Government and it’s rules. I am not fit to do that either with my limited knowledge. What I want here is just to share my small collection of experiences / opinion about the identity proofs.

So, here are 4 identity crisis issues that are often created by the identity proofs :

Identity crisis no. 1: Spelling mistakes in names / addresses

Do you feel a bit annoyed inside when someone pronounces or writes your name in a wrong manner ? Do you try to correct that person? Of course, you do. It’s very natural for you to react and clear the confusion. After all, a name is one of the important aspects of your identity.

Now what do you do for the same mistakes in your official identity documents ? Unfortunately, you can’t simply go and tell someone this time to make the necessary corrections. You need to reapply in the relevant forms /portals for corrections. The exercise gets more irritating when you go through this pain for the mistake of the identity proof issuer.

 

I remember only one or two times when I had no complaints about my name printed (correctly) in the identity proofs/official documents. Else rest of all the documents responsibly bear the misspelled name, much to my frustration.

No matter how carefully I fill my name (and that too in mandatory block letters) in application forms , the documents carry it in somewhat distorted fashion – Moumita Dey Sarkar or Moumita DeSarkar. What does it cost anyone to type Moumita De Sarkar without making any mistakes?

Anyway, this is a very small problem in comparison to the cases where father’s name, date of birth and permanent addresses also change in the important papers.

Identity crisis no. 2: Series of identity proofs

Lord Krishna has 108 different names. Similarly, every individual in this country has at least 6-7 (even if not 108) different identification documents. A poor soul gets a birth certificate right after making the mistake of landing in this earth. Then as he grows up, his identification entities also grow along with him.

Ration card, Voter identity card, Permanent Account Number (PAN) card , Passport and the latest addition in the lot being the famous Aadhar card. ‘Hotchpotch’ is the most suitable word to describe the identification process of a person in this country.

Nowadays, there is an initiative to link PAN and Aadhar cards. Ironically, due to the scenario mentioned in Identity crisis no. 1 , this good step is also a headache for most of the people.

Isn’t it at all possible to know someone’s age, whereabouts, eligibility in a country and financial status from 1 or maximum 2 identification proofs ?

Identity crisis no. 3: Picture

Before I write any more words under this heading, let me make one thing very clear. I am far away  from being a photogenic person. My pictures in my social network profiles are of average quality. If this is the case in social networks, then you can very well imagine the kind of images in my identity proofs.

 

This is one blame that I can’t put on the heads of Government. My cringeworthy photographs are entirely (and sadly) my own responsibility. That’s why I try to avoid looking at them most of the time. They always give me a serious identity crisis.

Identity crisis no. 4: Women willing to change surname after marriage

You are a married woman. Now there are two situations in front of you :

1. You drop your maiden name and include your husband’s surname ->Good decision
2. You are in no mood to adopt your husband’s surname -> Excellent decision

If you get complains about the situation no.2 , then please request your well-wisher(s) to do one small favour for you. Nothing much. Just ask them to visit different authorities/online portals and execute the name change in your official documents – mentioned in Identity crisis no. 2 including your bank accounts.

Forget about the sentimental values attached with a maiden name. Still women need to incorporate the above mentioned adjustments in their documents to change surnames. Any mistakes during this change process leads them back to the Identity crisis no. 1. Merely issuing an affidavit showing the name change will not solve the issue. One needs to keep a uniformity in names, specially in bank accounts. Banks don’t entertain affidavits.

I have seen my mother facing such problems . Now she is applying and trying to maintain her maiden name everywhere in order to sustain regularity in the important documents. So it’s very crucial for women to analyse the pros and cons before applying a name change after marriage. Getting emotional is not going to help here.

What do you think ? Do you find any identity crisis issues created by your identity proofs ? Would love to know your views in ‘Love to read your thoughts ‘ section below.