Unique story of a 42-year-old man from Ghutra village of Manendragarh district.
People get shocked after hearing the name, Aadhar card has to be shown to prove identity.
Rakesh Meghani.
Manendragarh-Chirmiri/Read. Never contested elections… nor held any constitutional post… still the name is 'President'! (President of Manendragarh) The story of this 42-year-old man living in Ghutra village of Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur district of Chhattisgarh is as unique as it is interesting. His parents had named him Rajpati, but a small mistake during school admission made him 'Rashtrapati'. The mistake was discovered in the fourth grade, but it was too late. Within no time this name got registered in government documents till Aadhaar card.
Actually, the President's parents named him Rajpati. When I was enrolled in school in my childhood, somehow a mistake was made in writing my name that instead of Rajpati, it was written as President. This mistake was not realized in the initial days. When he reached fourth grade, he came to know that his name was different in the school records. He also contacted the school to correct his name, but the matter could not proceed due to lack of necessary documents. The efforts to improve the name remained incomplete due to the rural environment, limited knowledge of rules and regulations and the complexities of the process. Gradually this name reached from his academic identity to government documents.
Sometimes people think it's a joke
The same name is recorded in other records including the Aadhar card of the President (President of Manendragarh), who studied till eighth grade. In this way a small mistake turned into a permanent identity. The President says that when he tells someone whose name is similar to the highest constitutional post of the country, people first get surprised. Many times people consider it a joke, then they have to show their identity card. Although this name came by mistake, this is my identity today. The people of the village call me President. Now it looks good and now I don't even have to change the name.
Difficulty in banking and document related work
This story of becoming President of Manendragarh from Rajpati is not just a change of name, it is an example of the self-confidence of a person who made the situation an identity and not a weakness. The school's mistake made him a laughing stock and he had to face questions, but he never felt disappointed. There was some difficulty in banking, documents and other work, but it is his name and it is associated with the highest post of the country, which makes him proud.
The matter reached Rashtrapati Bhavan and PMO
Block Congress Committee City President Saurav Mishra corresponded with a person named 'Rashtrapati' in Ghutra village regarding serious problems being faced in administrative, government records and banking works. On September 17, the President's Secretariat has officially sent this petition to the attention of the Home Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs of the Government of India and the Joint Secretary of the Department of Law and Justice, with instructions to take necessary steps and inform the petitioner directly about the action taken.
The process of action on this important policy issue is also going on in the Prime Minister's Office. Saurav Mishra has demanded before the Central Government that a clear policy should be made to avoid administrative and practical difficulties. He has urged that appropriate legal provisions and guidelines should be framed to regulate the use of constitutional positions and words related to national dignity (such as President, Prime Minister, Chief Minister, Governor and India) as personal names, so that in future the citizens do not have to face any kind of inconvenience due to their name.