Indian engineer named Saddam Hussain can't get a job
25 years ago marine engineer from India got name Saddam Hussain in honor of iraqi dictator.
At the same time he doesn't blame his grandfather for giving him such name, but it creates so many problems in life.
But after being refused a job some 40-odd times, he has concluded employers are loath to hire him - even if his name is marginally different - spelt Hussain, not Hussein.
So he went to court to become Sajid. But the wheels of bureaucracy are turning slowly - and so is his search for a job.
It may never have opened many doors in India - and has raised eyebrows and grins elsewhere - but one thing was guaranteed: a name like Saddam Hussain was not likely to pass unnoticed.
Two years after graduating from Tamil Nadu's Noorul Islam University, the man from Jamshedpur in Jharkhand is feeling the strain.
He did well at college, and his classmates have already found jobs, but shipping companies turn him away.
"People are scared to hire me," Saddam-turned-Sajid is quoted by Hindustan Times as saying.
He says they fear complications from an encounter with immigration officials across international borders.
Saddam thought he might easily get around this obstacle, by getting a new passport, driving licence and more.
But his job applications are still not proceeding smoothly as he cannot provide proof, under his new name, that he went to school - and this is proving to be a time-consuming exercise.
Another court hearing beckons on 5 May, this time to force authorities to change the name on his secondary school certificates, after which his graduation papers will need amending.
Sajid is not alone in his plight - but he may feel more aggrieved than the numerous Saddam Husseins of Iraq, who feel cursed with a name that was originally given in tribute to a leader whose legacy is one of a brutal dictator.
Source: BBC
