Sayyed Ali Mondal, who lives in small enclaves in India
When he was born, his parents named him Rubel Rana - a wholesome Bangladeshi. But at age 6, he was enrolled in school as Anisur Rehman, son of a man named Sayyed Ali Mondal who was, in fact, a distant relative, and an Indian.
That may sound complicated, but for thousands of Bangladeshis who live in small enclaves or little islands of land within India, a convoluted or fictitious family tree has been very much a way of life. Many Indian village pradhans have turned into Vicky Donors, says local administration official P Ulaganathan, referencing the indie Bollywood hit about a habitual sperm donor.
Along the border, the fathering is only on paper, of course, was extended to help Bangladeshis in the enclaves get access to schools and hospitals, and now it will no longer be necessary.
At midnight, India and Bangladesh will swap pockets of one country's territory surrounded by the other, ending one of the world's most intractable border disputes that has kept thousands of people in limbo for nearly 70 years.
There are 162 enclaves - 111 in Bangladesh and 51 in India - with more than 50,000 people who have lived there since 1947 without citizenship benefits such as schools and healthcare. Officials of both nations this month conducted surveys, asking residents to choose a country.
Enter the Vicky Donor pradhans or village heads. "There are some village officials who on paper have 50 children," said District Magistrate.
It's not entirely altruistic either. Anuarah is the mother of four children and she says all of of them have a different Indian father in records. "How terrible I feel that I cannot put their real father's name! But what to do?" she says. One Indian "father" charged Rs 600 to loan his name, another was a bargain of sorts at Rs 400.
They will have to find other business models from tomorrow.