Padma Shri awardee Pepita Seth, who has lived in Kerala for 50 years, has officially acquired Indian citizenship through naturalisation. Photo: X.
British-born photographer and writer Pepita Seth, a Padma Shri awardee, has officially acquired Indian citizenship after living in Kerala for more than five decades. Seth applied for Indian citizenship in 2024 and was granted citizenship through naturalisation.
Confirming the development to HT, District Collector Arjun Pandian said the certificate of citizenship was formally handed over to her on the day of the announcement.
“She has been staying here for over 50 years, and she applied for Indian citizenship in 2024. By citizenship acquired by naturalisation, we hand over the certificate today,” Pandian said.
Expressing her happiness after receiving Indian citizenship, Seth described the moment as the realisation of a long-cherished dream.
“I am happy to be here and happy to have become an Indian citizen. My dream. Buddy,” she said in an interview.
Recalling her early life and journey to India, Seth shared that she was born and raised in the United Kingdom before developing an interest in travel that eventually brought her to India.
“My name is Pepita Seth. I was born and brought up in the UK. After some time, I got interested in travelling and I came to India,” she said.
Seth initially visited Delhi and later travelled across several parts of the country, including Mumbai. However, it was Kerala that left a lasting impression on her.
“I liked Kerala,” she said, explaining that she was drawn to the state’s culture and its people.
Detailing her extensive travels within Kerala, Seth described how her engagement with local traditions gradually deepened.
“I travelled from Delhi to Bombay and then on to Kerala, North Kerala and then all over Kerala. Saw Kathakali like everybody coming here, went to see Theyyam, went to see other cultural activities, got to know people, saw Melams, saw Uttralikkavu, things like that and gradually got interested more and more and more in the Kerala culture and began taking photographs and began writing about it and I stayed in Thrissur because it was a very good focus point to travel to and from and now I came to this flat here and I have stayed here for 12 years or something,” she said.
Over the years, Seth has extensively documented Kerala’s ritual art forms through photography and writing. She has authored books on Theyyam, also known as Kaliyattam, a ritual dance tradition popular in north Kerala.
In recognition of her contributions to art and culture, Pepita Seth was awarded the Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian honour, in 2012.
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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