“Mom, mom,” Shlok brought me back from the thoughts I was immersed into. “Ha beta, kya hua?” I said. “Mom where are we going?” He asked. “We are going to get you a little sister,” I told him. “Sister? Really? Is she also in the hospital like I was?” He asked me innocently. “Umm, not really.

I mean, God only has sent her like he sent you to us, but instead he sent her in an orphanage so that ma papa can adopt her.”

He asked me what that means and I told him about adoption. I said, ”Shlok, not everyone is as lucky as you are to have parents, grandparents, uncles, aunties, cousins and friends. Some kids are born to grow up without all of them. Adoption means that we give one of them, all of this. Understood?” “Yea ma, got that. But why are you doing it? Why am I doing it?” These are the questions I have been asked multiple times. People in India are not quite comfortable with adoption. Hence it is really tough to convince family members about this whole adoption thing. Everyone told me that if I can be a biological mother of a child, then why do I want to go for adoption. But from a very early age in my life, I wanted to adopt a girl child. This was even before my marriage, and hence I had to come up with few points in favor of adoption:

1. I want to give a child out there, a better life, a life she deserves.

2. You can do a lot of charity for an orphanage, but nothing would match the love and care one can get in a family.

3. I always wanted two kids. I am already the biological mother of a kid. By adopting, I give a sibling to my elder one and fulfill my desire of having two kids.

4. Adoption will set a good example of kind gestures in to the family and society. Yes, I want more and more people to think about it. Even if tomorrow my kids come to me asking about adoption, I will always favor them.

I don't have much to add here in favor of adoption. but I truly believe that if you have pure intentions then even God works in your favor. Shlok seemed to understand as much as he could, and asked me what we would name her.

“Ridhima, a girl with a pure heart,” I said. With this, we reached the orphanage.

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