My Name story:

"Smita" is Hindi word derived from "smit" in Sanskrit, meaning smile. Smita mean a person who smiles. My parents chose this name for me. Although I was born in north India, this name was very common in southern states of India. In fact, at the time I was born, there was a very popular actress in India who was well known and awarded several times for portraying Indian women from varied socio-economic backgrounds as strong characters. I have watched almost all of her movies and even though, she's been dead for many years, many characters played by her have been my inspiration in real life.