Why are people still changing their names through newspaper ads?

Adding or removing a few letters from one's name in accordance with numerology or astrology are among the most common reasons for name change in India. (Illustration by Suneesh K.)

Ever noticed the small, single column advertisements, tucked away in a corner of the classified sections of a daily newspaper, where people announce their name change?

A typical ad goes something like this – I, (name), S/o (name) R/o (address), have changed my name to (new name) vide affidavit dated (date) sworn in the court of judicial magistrate.

Why, then, do people change their names? The reasons could be multiple – marriage, remarriage, spelling mistake in old name/surname/family name, adoption, numerology or astrology, religion change or even a plain desire for a new name.

But then, even if someone does change his or her name for some reason or the other, what is the need to announce it in a newspaper? Well, it is more of a legal compulsion than a personal choice.

A legal requirement

It is not that one fine morning you decide to change your name or alter your spelling and start using the new name right away. In fact, changing a name requires a thorough technical process to be completed, which primarily involves three key steps—a name change affidavit in a specified format; placing an ad in a newspaper; and a notification in the official gazette.

“Placing an ad is like a public announcement and telling the world that you are changing your name. It’s like an official record that you have to cut and keep,” said Shaurya Krishna, a Supreme Court advocate.

There are reasons why this legal process that involves a lot of scrutiny has to be done, Krishna explained. Apart from the obvious reasons such as astrology or spelling correction, there could be someone who could want to change his or her name in a clandestine manner in order to escape legal or court proceedings.

“A court case or criminal proceedings may be on against a person, who may want to change his or her name to escape the legal process. Or someone who may be a bank defaulter, who would want to hoodwink the authorities,” Krishna said.

Step 1 of the legal process involves a visit to your nearest notary and making an affidavit on a stamp paper regarding the name change by specifying the reason: for example, marriage or astrological advice or numerological reason, etc.

Step 2 is publishing an ad in any two or three local newspapers – and preserving a copy for future use.

Step 3 is getting your name published in the official gazette of your state concerned if no one raises any objection. Once the government publishes your name after verification, for which you may have to submit additional documents, you are done.

The process takes at least 45 days. Government staff would have to keep their department/ministry in the loop. Likewise Indian citizens living abroad have to go through the embassy or high commission.

“An advertisement has to be placed in at least two newspapers – English or and Hindi or a local-language publication after the affidavit is notarised. It is basically a public notice in case some individual or some authority would want to object,” Krishna said.

Celebrities have to go through the same process of making an affidavit, placing an ad in newspapers and getting the revised name published in the official gazette, Krishna said.

But even if someone has any objection to any change of name, would he or she even notice the tiny ad, which acts as a public notice, on the bottom of, say, page 9 of a 30-page newspaper?

Krishna says the process, though not completely fool-proof, has to be followed. “If you have seen, even the authorities such as banks place public notices in newspapers if they have to initiate legal or criminal proceedings against an individual or an organisation.”

Multiple reasons for name change

An agency dealing with classified advertisements is the easiest way to get a name change ad published in a newspaper. News publications have their own classified sections, which a person may approach directly.

The cost of an ad depends on the advertisement rates of a newspaper but could start anywhere from Rs 600-700 for a single insert or even more, said an executive dealing with classified ads with a leading newspaper.

Some agencies may even offer a combo package that includes the affidavit, newspaper ads and assistance in getting the name published in the official gazette.

“We are not a big agency but we get at least 20 to 30 requests for name change advertisements almost every day,” said Anshuman Kumar, who runs an advertising agency in Delhi.

A change in the surname after marriage is quite common for important reasons such as passport processing, change in bank accounts and Aadhaar card, inclusion of name in ration card, etc.

"There are many, though, who also get their names corrected in tune with their family surnames so that they do not face any legal hassles in inheriting property," Kumar explained.

In adoption cases, a name change in the legal documents becomes mandatory for admission in school or to get the rights to the family property legally.

Other reasons for name change could include interfaith marriages where the wives change their surnames, or even names, and thus a legal process becomes necessary. Or people who convert to other religions and get their names changed. And even after gender change, though the number would be very small.

Interestingly, in some cases, people are known to have dropped their surnames. Others adopt a neutral title such as Kumar, Kumari or Azad, or even have two first names, to conceal or avoid their caste. Or to make a statement.

Known examples are Amitabh Bachchan’s father Harivansh Rai Bachchan, who chose his pen name over his family surname Srivastava.

The star factor

Numerology and astrological advice are some of the most common reasons for people changing names.

Astrologists or numerologists often suggest a change or correction in name for people who suffer business losses, face failure in marriages and career and deal with other problems. Or just simply to enjoy stardom, good health, wealth and more success.

According to numerology, a name should be compatible with the date of birth or life path number to be beneficial as each number has its own meaning. Similarly, astrologers may suggest changes based on star signs or planetary positions at the time of birth.

For example, if a person’s name is, say, Surya, and it is not compatible with his date of birth, the compatible name could be Suryaa or Soorya or something else, explained a numerologist. “It all depends on the calculations.”

In fact, many famous people are known to have tweaked their spellings based on expert advice though they have never acknowledged this in public.

Celebrities such as Suniel Shetty, Rajkummar Rao (Yadav), Ayushmann Khurrana, Tusshar Kapoor, Rani Mukerji, Ajay Devgn or Viveik Oberoi have added an extra letter or omitted one.

“It depends on whether you believe it or not. I have tweaked my spelling based on an expert’s advice. Only time will tell if it works or not,” said Puja, who didn’t want her surname to be revealed. Her name was earlier spelt as Pooja.