Spanish woman visits India after 20 years to find her biological mother

Twentyone-year-old Sneha, a Spanish citizen, has returned to India in search of her biological mother, who had abandoned her and her brother 20 years ago.

She arrived in Bhubaneswar on December 19 last year, along with her Spanish mother Gema Vidal. The duo have been staying in a hotel.

Her brother Somu could not accompany Sneha as he was busy with some work in Spain.

Sneha, a researcher in children’s education, could not find her parents and is running out of time as she has to return to Spain on Monday for her academic endeavors.

Gema is a yoga teacher in Zaragpza, Spain.

Sneha and Somu were adopted by Gema Vidal and Juan Josh from an orphanage in Bhubaneswar in 2010. The siblings were shifted to orphanage after their mother Banalata Das abandoned them in 2005.

When asked if she would chide her biological mother for abandoning her and her brother, Sneha stayed silent. She was only over a year old, and her brother was just a few months old when they were abandoned.

Gema was all praises for Sneha. She said that Sneha is very responsible and educated. “She is the joy of our house and love of our life.”

During their 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.

Mishra said that they found about Sneha’s parents names from the house owner in Nayapally and later verified with the police and the orphanage.

Sneha and Gema met city Commissioner of Police Dev Datta Singh. He assigned the job of locating Banalata and Santosh Das to two police personnel.

The police found that Banalata and Santosh are from Badamba-Narsinghpur area in Cuttack district. Police are enquiring the police and panchayat functionaries to locate them.

However, it is learnt that Sneha would return to Bhubaneswar to trace her roots in March for a longer stay.