The internet is overjoyed! In a touching video, Russian-born Marina Kharbani celebrated her newly granted Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) and made everyone smile online. Especially when she said, "I'm an Indian now," which was a perfect "Hum Hindustani" (meaning "We, the Indians") moment for netizens.
Who is Marina Kharbani?
Marina Kharbani is a Russian woman living in Shillong, Meghalaya, with her Indian husband, child, and in-laws. She is a well-known social media influencer with over 126K followers on Instagram.
She has over 254K subscribers on YouTube. She and her husband own a cafe called Terk’s Cafe, which offers Russian food and cakes in Shillong.
Marina recently posted the joyful moment on Instagram, proudly holding her baby and the OCI card.
Her path to securing the OCI card took three and a half years, during which she fully embraced Indian traditions while navigating through the formalities.
Marina’s moment of OCI victory speaks beyond borders. It beautifully captures her emotions, love for India, and joy of finding a home away from home. After the video went viral (two million views) online, strangers have become her well-wishers. Many shared her happiness and congratulated her in the comments section.
She captioned, “Almost! I was waiting for this precious document for 3.5 years!!! And I am a proud holder of OCI now.”
What is an OCI Card?
The OCI card enables foreign nationals of Indian origin to live, work, and travel freely in India. However, the card does not grant full citizenship rights, such as the right to vote in India.
How did social media react?
No matter what happens, some are always unhappy and judgmental about it online. On this matter, too, the internet is divided; while some congratulated her, others went satirical and a bit too sarcastic.
One user on the internet commented, “Congratulations! I have one, too! Enjoy not having to worry about expiry dates or visa paperwork anymore!” echoing Marina’s joy.
Someone else said, “People from India are migrating to Europe. Europeans are coming to India for citizenship,” reflecting on the shifting tides of global migration.
Another viewer shared, “I have never seen anyone waving an Indian passport with so much happiness. Congratulations.” Meanwhile, a more critical voice noted, “But it's only the OCI. You're not Indian. The OCI doesn't give you Indian nationality. If you get divorced, the OCI is revoked. The OCI only gives us some rights, not all of them, like the ability to enter and leave without a visa. But it's not nationality.”
Marina Kharbani responded with a simple and defiant answer, “Yes. So...?”