Kondragunta Mahalakshmamma, a 94-year-old woman from Chinthagumpala village in Andhra Pradesh, has formally renounced her United States citizenship to reclaim her Indian nationality. After living in Virginia for 18 years following her husband’s passing, she returned to India in 2018 with her son, Dr Buchaiah Choudhary. Seeking to fulfil her final wish of dying as a citizen of her homeland and having her last rites performed in her native village, she made an emotional appeal to Bapatla District Collector J. Venkata Murali.
In the latest development, following the completion of standard legal procedures, the district administration hosted a ceremony where the District Collector administered the oath of allegiance and officially presented her with her restored Indian citizenship documents. This deeply personal journey has caught public attention amidst a broader, nationwide conversation following the Ministry of External Affairs’ clarification that passports serve primarily as travel documents rather than absolute proof of citizenship.
From Andhra to Virginia and Back
Mahalakshmamma’s life was deeply rooted in the rural landscape of Chinthagumpala, located in the Chinaganjam mandal of Andhra Pradesh’s Bapatla district. Following the death of her husband, Nagabhushanam, she moved to Petersburg, Virginia, in July 2000 to reside with her son, a practicing oncologist. She embraced her new life and acquired US citizenship, spending nearly two decades watching her family thrive abroad.
Despite the comfort and security of life in the United States, the connection to her birthplace never faded. When her son decided to return to India to work at the NRI Hospital in Mangalagiri, Mahalakshmamma returned permanently with him. While she lived peacefully for a few years under her Overseas Citizen of India status, reaching her mid-90s brought a clear conviction that she did not want to remain an overseas entity in the country where she was born.
Navigating the Bureaucracy of Identity
India strictly does not permit dual citizenship under Section 9 of the Citizenship Act, 1955, meaning that when Mahalakshmamma took up a US passport, her Indian nationality was automatically terminated. Reclaiming it required a rigorous process involving local verification by district authorities, recommendations forwarded to the state government, and final processing by the Ministry of Home Affairs in New Delhi. Accompanied by her son, the elderly woman presented herself before the Bapatla District Collectorate to request an expedited process, explaining that her only wish was to spend her final days in her motherland as an Indian citizen and have her last rites performed in her native village.
Videos of her taking the oath of allegiance in Telugu rapidly went viral on social media platforms, drawing massive support from citizens moved by her devotion to her roots. Recognising the extraordinary nature of her request, the administration quickly executed local identity, background, and residency inquiries to verify her credentials. The administrative protocol culminated in a formal ceremony at the Bapatla Collectorate where she was officially handed her documentation, legally solidifying her return to her homeland.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Mahalakshmamma’s story goes beyond a routine administrative transaction; it reflects the deep, emotional attachment people have to their homeland. At a time when complex debates about citizenship and documentation often feel cold, rigid, and bureaucratic, this 94-year-old grandmother’s single-minded pursuit reminds us that national identity is fundamentally about a sense of belonging.
The empathy, swiftness, and respect shown by the Bapatla district administration in processing her request set a heartening example of humane governance, proving that laws are most effective when applied with kindness and a deep understanding of the human element. We welcome Mahalakshmamma back home, a place she never truly left in her heart.
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"I want to die as an Indian": 94-year-old Kondragunta Mahalakshmamma from Bapatla of AP renounces her US citizenship and seeks restoration of her Indian citizenship, saying she wants to spend her final days and be laid to rest in her village. #AndhraPradesh #IndianCitizenship pic.twitter.com/nYd1kyLulb
— Ramana (@pvramanakumar) June 26, 2026
