Inchara
Carmel, IN
Whenever I met someone new, the first two minutes of our conversation was how to pronounce my name and what it meant. I dreaded roll call when there was a substitute teacher. At times, they’d skip my name entirely, making me feel left out. Both non-Indian and Indian people had trouble pronouncing my name. They were surprised I wasn’t a “Parvati” or a “Lakshmi” or something that was both Indian and American like “Maya” or “Anita.” It took awhile for me to be proud of being an Inchara.
