This 94-year-old former US citizen has one last wish — to die an Indian

3 min readHyderabadJun 27, 2026 03:23 PM IST

“I do solemnly swear in the name of God that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India as by law established” Mahalakshmamma said as she stood by her son K Buchaiah at the PGRS Hall of Bapatla Collectorate on June 23. (Special Arrangement)

At 94, Kondragunta Mahalakshmamma has only one wish – to die an Indian. This week, the former US citizen’s wish was close to being fulfilled when she was administered the oath of allegiance to the nation at Bapatla, her native district in Andhra Pradesh.

“I do solemnly swear in the name of God that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India as by law established, and that I will faithfully observe the laws of India and fulfill my duties as a citizen of India,” she said as she stood by her son K Buchaiah at the PGRS Hall of Bapatla Collectorate on June 23.

This 94-year-old former US citizen Kondragunta Mahalakshmamma has one ‘last wish’ — to die an Indian. A video of her taking the oath of allegiance on June 23 went viral on social media. pic.twitter.com/w0wuhcSx4t

— The Indian Express (@IndianExpress) June 27, 2026

A US citizen since 2000, Mahalakshmamma had approached authorities for Indian citizenship after having given up her American citizenship. A video of her taking the oath of allegiance on June 23 went viral on social media.

The oath of allegiance is mandatory under Section 38 of the Citizenship Rules, 2009, to become a citizen of India. It is administered by the district collector and magistrate. In the video, Mahalakshmamma, who’s hard of hearing, is heard administering the oath in Telugu with help from her oncologist son K Buchaiah, who’s heard shouting the words to her.

The oath had to be administered in Telugu because she does not follow English.

For District Collector V Vinod Kumar, the oath marked a “special day”. “We asked her why she wants to get Indian citizenship at this late stage in her life. She said that she wants to die an Indian and be cremated here in Chithagumpala village of Chinnaganjam area in Bapatla,” Kumar told The Indian Express. The collector quoted the 94-year-old as having said: “I’m nearing 95. My only wish is to spend my final days in my motherland and have my last rites performed in my village”.

The application has now been sent to the Home Ministry.

What made her relinquish Indian citizenship in the first place? In 2000, Mahalakshmamma moved to the US to be with her son’s family shortly after the demise of her husband in Andhra Pradesh. “She lived in the US till 2018 and then returned to India. She now holds an Overseas Citizen of India card,” Collector Kumar told The Indian Express. Mahalakshmamma has been living in Bapatla ever since 2018, the collector said. “But now she wants to be laid to rest in the country of her origin,” Kumar said.

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Mahalakshmamma’s family declined to comment. However, Bapatla MP Krishna Prasad Tenneti told The Indian Express, “These days when somebody who has experienced the comforts of a foreign life wants to get back to India, we should appreciate it. It is not often that one hears the desire to come back to one’s homeland. I think this thought which has come to the 94-year-old mother is a noble thought”.

Nikhila Henry is an Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, based in Hyderabad. With a career spanning 17 years, she has established herself as an authoritative voice on South Indian affairs, specialising in the complex intersections of politics, education, and social justice.

Experience & Career: Nikhila commenced her journalism career in 2007 as an education correspondent for The Times of India in Hyderabad,where she gained recognition for her coverage of student politics. Her professional trajectory includes a four-year tenure at The Hindu, where she focused on minority affairs and social welfare. In 2019, she took on a leadership role as the South Bureau Chief for The Quint, where she directed regional coverage across all five South Indian states. Her expansive career also includes a tenure at the BBC in New Delhi and contributions to prestigious international outlets such as The Sunday Times (London) and HuffPost India.

Expertise & Focus Areas

Nikhila’s reportage is marked by a deep-seated understanding of grassroots movements and institutional policy. Her core focus areas include:

Regional Politics: Comprehensive analysis of the socio-political dynamics across South India.

Education & Student Movements: Chronicling the evolution of Indian academics and the rise of youth activism.

Minority Affairs: Rigorous reporting on the welfare, rights, and challenges facing marginalized communities.

National Beat: Elevating regional stories to national prominence through investigative and on-ground reporting.

Authoritativeness & Trust

A respected figure in Indian media, Nikhila is not only a seasoned reporter but also an accomplished author and editor. She authored the critically acclaimed book The Ferment: Youth Unrest in India and edited Caste is Not a Rumour, a collection of writings by Rohith Vemula. Her dual background in daily news reporting and long-form authorship allows her to provide readers with a nuanced, historically-informed perspective on contemporary Indian society.

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