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There are many interesting videos on the internet, but some stand out for their heartfelt stories. One such video features a woman named India Witkin, who opened up about the story behind her unusual name. Her post is touching hearts for the way it celebrates identity, heritage, and self-acceptance. In her video, India shares how she went from feeling embarrassed about her name to feeling proud of it. Growing up in the United States, she was often teased for being named India. Later, when she visited India, people constantly asked why she had such a name. The constant questioning left her conflicted for years before she finally embraced it. Finding Pride in Her Name “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 on Instagram. She said things began to change when she turned 18. “Finally, at 18, as I entered adulthood (I even wrote 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. Why Her Grandmother Chose the Name In the video, she answers a follower’s question asking why she was named India. She explains, “My name is India. I’m also Indian and a lot of people on the internet are wondering why the hell my parents named me that. Well, this is why.” A photo of her parents, Preeti and Christian, appears on the screen as she narrates the story. “These are my parents, and they could not for the life of them figure out a name for me. A week before I was born, my nani (my grandmother) casually suggested the name India, so that I never forget where I come from,” she said. She added, “I was born on a nice warm June day, and my parents thought I looked like an India. So, my name is really paying homage to the beautiful, vast, rich culture that I come from, that I’m so lucky to descend from and I try to honour it every single day. No matter where I go in this world, or what I look like, I will always remember that I am India.” Watch the clip here: View this post on Instagram A post shared by India Witkin (@indiawitkin) Social Media Reacts to Her Story Since being posted on October 27, the video has received over 37,000 views and hundreds of positive comments. An Instagram user commented, “What better way to honour your roots!” while another said, “Incredible and wonderful.” A person wrote, “I LOVE that they named you that! So beautiful,” and another added, “What a beautiful story. Love this so much.” Someone else remarked, “Love a meaning behind a name.” Two ‘Indias’ Meet on a Train, Leaving Passengers Amused Just a few days earlier, while travelling on a train in India, India Witkin found herself in a funny and unexpected situation. As she chatted with fellow passengers, she introduced herself by saying, “My name is India,” which left everyone surprised. View this post on Instagram A post shared by India Witkin (@indiawitkin) One of the men sitting nearby reacted in disbelief and said that his name was also “India.” Thinking he was joking, she asked him to show his ID. To her amazement, he did and even showed his Aadhaar card to prove it.
