Name establishes the identity of a person and connects them to the world. But what if the same name becomes an issue? Something similar happened to a woman who shared a sweet story behind her name, India.
Born and raised in New York, India Witkin talked about the complex relationship with her unique name in an Instagram video. She claimed to have experienced a mix of emotions, from embarrassment to gratitude, due to the cultural pressures she faced in the US and India.
Watch the video here:
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She shared that her grandmother suggested the name "India" because it would always remind her of where she came from.
She revealed that she faced teasing in the United States because of her name. On the other hand, when she visited India, she was met with constant questioning about her name, which made her uncomfortable. She thought she was stuck between two worlds.
"I grew up having such a love-hate relationship with my name. I was teased in america, then questioned in India... I cared too much about what people thought and never appreciated the uniqueness of my name," she wrote as the caption of the video.
However, she began to embrace it and appreciate the uniqueness when she grew up. She realised that her name was not just a label, but a connection to her heritage and roots.
"Finally at 18 as I entered adulthood (I even writing my college essay about my name), I started to come around to it. Now at 29 years old I love it and am so grateful to my nani for coming up with it. Thank you to my parents!" she added in the caption.
Just like Shakespeare's quote from Juliet in Romeo and Juliet - "What's in a name?" It may be our identity, but also just an arbitrary label that doesn't define a person's worth or essence.
Social media reaction
"Famous South African cricketer Jhonty Rhodes and Australian cricketer David Warner named their daughters India and Indie because of their attachment with this country," said one user.
"India is a common name in Latin America, some latin female artists are named India as well," another user noted.
"If people can be named Bharat and Bharati then you can be named India," another suggested.
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