Adopting is the best decision we have taken’

Swati Deshpande | TNN

Mumbai: Back in 1992, when they were not yet married, they set up Crossword, the popular bookstore at Mahalaxmi. Book lovers R Sriram and K Anita, who think almost in sync, knew they would adopt a baby girl when they were ready for a child. That’s how Kavya came into their life—as a smiling six-monthold baby. She is now two-and-half years old and “the best thing that’s happened’’ to them, said Anita.
   “When people say Kavya is lucky to have you as parents, we say no, we are the ones who are lucky to have her,’’ explained Anita, her happiness brimming over the phone. “I stepped out of Crossword and then Kavya came. I now prefer staying at home until something I feel passionate about comes along.’’  Family members wondered why they wanted to adopt instead of becoming biological parents. “But we had decided to realise our dream of having a child through adoption,’’ said Anita.
   “It was not a difficult process for us, luckily. Everything happened fast and we brought Kavya home three months after our first visit to St Catherine’s Home in Andheri. Initially, other agencies hemmed and hawed and asked us to wait, saying there was a waiting list for infants. We wanted a baby as young as possible so we could experience all the joys of parenting. When

I got through to St Catherine’s, Sister Helen invited us over and we went by our gut feeling. “We didn’t want to choose a baby, we thought we’d accept the first child shown to us. After a lot of background checks on us and other tests and documentation, we landed one day at St Catherine’s for what we thought was more paperwork, but we were shown a little five-month-old baby. We were stunned and speechless with joy when we held her tentatively in our arms. She was and is most beautiful. Feeling the warm bundle, we just couldn’t wait to bring her home. I was 38 and Sriram 41 when we adopted Kavya,’’ said Anita. Kavya, surrounded as she is by books, is learning to love reading and her vocabulary is pretty large, coos her mother. “When she turns three or understands more, I may start telling her about her adoption. It’s the best decision we have taken. I would advise all young couples to adopt. Many go for adoption because they can’t have a natural-born child. But for us it’s been wonderful experience. We feel fulfilled as parents. It’s like having our own child.’’

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