21-Year-Old Woman, Adopted by Spanish Couple, Returns to India to Find Her Biological Mother

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): A 21-year-old woman of Indian origin, Sneha, adopted by a Spanish couple has returned to India in search of her biological mother. With the support of her Spanish parents, Gema Vidal and Juan Josh, Sneha embarked on this emotional journey and Gema accompanied her to her home state of Odisha. However, Sneha is running out of time as she needs to return to Spain on Monday for her educational commitments. The siblings were adopted by the couple in 2010 from an orphanage in Bhubaneshwar after being abandoned by their biological mother, Banalata Das in 2005. Despite the limited information available about her past, Sneha is determined to trace her roots.

Sneha shared her thoughts, saying, "The purpose of my journey from Spain to Bhubaneswar is to find my biological parents, especially my mother. I want to meet her and I'm fully prepared for this challenging journey." When asked if she would confront her biological mother for abandoning her, Sneha stayed silent, acknowledging that she was only about a year old at the time, while her brother was just a few months old. Sneha expressed deep gratitude for her Spanish parents who have showered her and her brother with unconditional love. She added, "They have given us everything in life, never making us feel like we were adopted, ensuring the best education and the freedom to make our own choices."

On December 19 of the previous year, Sneha accompanied by Gema, arrived in Bhubaneshwar. They have been staying in a hotel, while Sneha’s brother, Somu could not join them due to prior commitments in Spain. If they are unable to locate Sneha's biological mother before Monday, Gema and Sneha plan to return in March for an extended stay. "We have to go back to Spain as Sneha has joined a training program that should not be discontinued. If we do not find Banalata in the next 24 hours, we will return to Bhubaneswar in March," Gema stated. In 2005, Banalata abandoned Sneha and Somu at a rented house in Bhubaneswar's Nayapally area. Banalata's husband, Santosh had previously abandoned the family, which included Sneha and Somu before she also left with another son and daughter, leaving Sneha and Somu behind. The house owner alerted the police and the siblings were sent to an orphanage. In 2010, the Spanish couple legally adopted Sneha who was approximately five and a half years old, and Somu who was over four.

Gema expressed her love for Sneha, calling her "the joy of our house" and said, "She is well educated and conducting research, so she decided to locate her biological mother. I accompanied her to this place." She recalled that when the couple arrived at the orphanage to adopt the siblings, Sneha was holding a flower marking the beginning of their new life together. During their search in Bhubaneswar, Gema and Sneha were assisted by Sneha Sudha Mishra, a retired teacher from Rama Devi Women's University, who helped them uncover the names of Sneha’s parents. Mishra mentioned that Gema and Sneha initially faced financial exploitation but were supported by local people during their search.

"In fact, Sneha's mother cried in front of me, asking for help to locate Banalata. Together, we searched for her parents before involving the police. Gema is a kind and affectionate woman with a deep understanding of Indian culture and philosophy," Mishra said. Language barriers made communication difficult for Gema but she was helped by Mishra and others. The pair later met with the Commissioner of Police, Dev Datta Singh who assigned two police officers, Anjali Chhotray and Gangadhar Pradhan, to assist in locating Banalata and her husband, Santosh. "We discovered that Banalata and Santosh are from the Badamba-Narsinghpur area in Cuttack district. We have engaged local police and panchayat officials to locate them," said Inspector Chhotray. Sneha expressed her gratitude, stating, "People here, especially the media and police, have been very supportive."