Mister International Indonesia 2026 reveals why his father named him Aishwarya

I Gede Aishwarya talks about his name (Photo: I Gede Aishwarya/Instagram; Express Archives)

Mister International Indonesia 2026, I Gede Aiswarya Pandit Kartika recently revealed that his name is inspired by Miss World 1994 and actor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. The engineer, innovator, athlete and model revealed on the pageant stage, “For those who are wondering why my name is Aishwarya…a lot of people say it is a girl’s name…it is because I get my name from artist and Miss World 1994 Aishwarya Rai. My father loves Bollywood, and when I was born, Aishwarya got the Best Actress Award…so he named me that…I think the name is a prayer because I am now representing Indonesia in Mister Indonesia.”

DISCLAIMER: This article is based on information from the public domain and/or the experts we spoke to.

Beyond the fascinating coincidence lies an interesting psychological question: How much of our identity begins before we have any say in it?

Delnna Rrajesh, psychotherapist and relationship breakthrough expert, told indianexpress.com how a name is often the first gift parents give a child, but it can also be the first story they give them. “Parents name children after grandparents, spiritual figures, people they admire, qualities they hope the child will embody, or simply because a name evokes something meaningful to them. Long before children understand who they are, their names can already carry family history, cultural identity, aspiration, and emotion,” said Delnna.

As a psychotherapist, Delnna noted that people’s relationship with names is particularly interesting. “Some grow into their names effortlessly. Others spend years feeling uncomfortable because their name is unusual, frequently mispronounced, associated with another gender or accompanied by expectations they never chose. A child who repeatedly hears, “You were named after this extraordinary person,” may experience that story as pride, but another may experience it as an invisible expectation to become equally extraordinary.”

Here’s what you should consider (Photo: AI Generated)

This is why parents can tell children the beautiful story behind their name without turning that story into a standard they have to live up to. “Inspiration becomes empowering when it gives a child roots, not when it decides the direction in which they must grow,” Delnna said.

Psychologically, an equally important consideration is the person’s relationship with that name. “Does it feel like me? Does saying it create connection, confidence and belonging, or does it feel like an identity imposed from outside?” asked Delnna.

Perhaps that is what makes Gede Aiswarya Kartika’s story so interesting. “His father may have chosen the name because he admired Aishwarya Rai, but the son now gets to decide what that name will represent through his own life. Our parents may give us our first name and the story behind it. Growing up is the process of deciding what story we will add to that name ourselves,” shared Delnna.

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DISCLAIMER: This article is based on information from the public domain and/or the experts we spoke to.