Indian-origin woman, adopted Spanish couple, returns to Odisha after 15 years to find birth mother | Trending

Abandoned her mother 20 years ago and adopted a Spanish couple, an Indian-origin woman has returned to Odisha to find her biological mother. Sneha Enrique Vidal a 21-year-old girl from Spain who was adopted as a child from Odisha a Spanish couple.(PTI) Sneha, a researcher in children’s education in Spain, travelled to India to trace her roots with little information about her past. Her Spanish parents Gema Vidal and Juan Josh supported her in her quest, even accompanying her on the trip. They returned to Bhubaneswar where they had adopted Sneha and her brother Somu in 2010 from an orphanage. The siblings lived in the orphanage after their mother abandoned them in 2005 when Sneha was just a year old. “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 news agency PTI. Running out of timeAsked what she would do if she found her mother, Sneha chose not to disclose her feeling. But the 21-year-old is now running out of time as she has to return to Spain on Monday for her educational commitments. “We have to return to Spain as Sneha has joined a training programme which should not be discontinued. If we do not get her in the next 24 hours, we will come back to Bhubaneswar in March,” her adoptive mother said. (Also read: US woman reveals struggles with Indian dinner party traditions after moving to India: ‘Hardest cultural adjustment’) Abandoned as a baSneha’s mother Banalata had abandoned her and Somu at their rented house in Nayapally area in Bhubaneswar in 2005. Her 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 her two other children, leaving behind Sneha and Somu. The house owner later informed the police and they were shifted to an orphanage. In 2010, Sneha, then more than five years old, and Somu, around four years old, were legally adopted the Spanish couple. “Sneha is very responsible and educated. She is the joy of our house. She is our life,” Gema said. Gema said that she had told 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. Helped locals, policeDuring 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. The Odisha police have also offered to help Sneha locate her mother. “We have found out that Banalata Das and Santosh are from Badamba-Narsinghpur area in Cuttack drict. We have engaged police and panchayat functionaries to locate them,” Inspector Anjali Chhotray told news agency PTI. (With inputs from PTI)