By Arabinda Mishra
Bhubaneswar, Jan 5: Sneha, a Spanish citizen, has returned to India in search of her biological mother, who had abandoned her and her brother 20 years ago.
However, 21-year-old Sneha is running out of time as she has to return to Spain on Monday for her educational commitments.
The researcher in children’s education wanted to trace her roots and reached India with scant information about her past.
Her Spanish parents Gema Vidal and Juan Josh supported her in her quest and Gema accompanied Sneha to her home state Odisha. They had adopted Sneha and her brother Somu in 2010 from an orphanage in Bhubaneswar, where they were sheltered after their mother Banalata Das abandoned them in 2005.
“The purpose of my journey from Spain to Bhubaneswar is to find my biological parents, especially my mother. I want to find her and meet her. I am fully prepared for the journey even if it is difficult,” Sneha told PTI.
Asked if she would chide her biological mother for abandoning her, Sneha remained mum. She was only over a year old, and her brother was just a few months old at that time.
Sneha said her Spanish parents have given the siblings everything in life and never made them feel like they were adopted, ensuring the best education and freedom to make their own choices.
“They have given us unconditional love,” she said.
Accompanied by Gema, a yoga teacher in Zaragoza city of Spain, Sneha arrived in Bhubaneswar on December 19 last year and they have been staying in a hotel. Somu, however, could not come as he was busy with some work in Spain.
If they do not find Sneha’s biological mother by Monday, they will come back in March for a longer stay.
“We have to return to Spain as Sneha has joined a training programme which should not be discontinued. If we do not get Banalata in the next 24 hours, we will come back to Bhubaneswar in March,” Gema said.
Banalata had abandoned Sneha and Somu at their rented house in Nayapally area in Bhubaneswar in 2005. Banalata’s husband Santosh, who worked as a cook in a private firm, had earlier abandoned his family, which comprised his wife, and four children, including Sneha and Somu.
Later, Banalata also left the rented house with another son and daughter, leaving behind Sneha and Somu. The house owner later informed the police and they were shifted to an orphanage.
In 2010, Sneha, then around five years and nine months old, and Somu, over four years old, were legally adopted by the Spanish couple.
“Sneha is very responsible and educated. She is the joy of our house. She is our life,” Gema said.
Gema had earlier revealed to Sneha and Somu about their roots in Odisha and that they were adopted.
“She is well educated and conducting research, so she decided to locate her biological mother and I accompanied her to this place,” Gema said.
“I told Sneha that her Indian mother and father are surely nice people because you are good,” she said.
Recalling her experience during the legal adoption of Sneha and her brother, Gema said that they had to wait for three months to adopt the siblings.
“When we reached the orphanage to adopt Sneha and Somu, she was waiting for us with a flower in her hand. From that very moment, the siblings became a part of our life,” she said.
During their frantic search in Bhubaneswar, Gema and Sneha came across a retired teacher of Rama Devi Women’s University, Sneha Sudha Mishra, who helped them find out the names of her parents.
“We found out about her parents’ names from the house owner in Nayapally and later the names were verified with the police and the orphanage,” Mishra said.
Gema and Sneha were monetarily exploited by some people during their initial days in India.
“In fact, Sneha’s mother cried in front of me, seeking help to locate Banalata. Together, we searched for her parents before approaching the police for help. Gema is a noble and affectionate woman having an in-depth understanding of Indian culture and philosophy,” Mishra said.
Mishra said language was a major problem for Gema to communicate with locals but she has been helping the mother-daughter duo.
With the help of Mishra, Sneha and Gema met city Commissioner of Police Dev Datta Singh, who assigned the job of locating Banalata Das and Santosh Das to two police personnel Anjali Chhotray and Gangadhar Pradhan.
“We have found out that Banalata Das and Santosh are from Badamba-Narsinghpur area in Cuttack district. We have engaged police and panchayat functionaries to locate them,” Inspector Anjali Chhotray said.
“People here, especially the media and police, have helped us a lot,” Sneha said. (PTI)
