Karnataka: Saved from adoption, kids doing well

Mysuru: Neelamma and Nataraj, group D employees at Alanahalli Gram Panchayat had tears in their eyes, but this time it was not out of agony but of happiness.

This was the scene when DC revisited their house  exactly two years after their two nephews, who were all set to be sent on inter-country adoption without their knowledge, were saved   and rehabilitated following an intensive campaign by Deccan Chronicle.  

"The children who had got no education during seven years of their stay in government custody, are now in class 4 and class 6 and they are doing well," said the guardians.

"It was indeed a challenge initially to start their education from scratch. But with special coaching, they picked up and they are doing well now. Ten-year-old  Navollas (name changed) is brilliant and is  extraordinary in academics.  He is very good at drawing too.  The elder brother, eleven-year-old Santhosh (name changed) is doing well in studies too and is  good at sports. Both had participated in mimes and dance performances in the annual day function at the school," said head of the NGO Deenabandhu, Mr Jaidev.

When the kids were transferred from an NGO in Mysuru to another NGO in Bengaluru (with licence for inter-country adoption), to send them on adoption to Italy, they were taught to speak English. "The kids continue to speak good English with Germans who visit the NGO," Mr Jaidev added.

"We may be poor but that doesn't mean we do not love our kids. We did not want to lose  our bonds wiht them by sending them on adoption. We did not want to keep the kids at home too as we did not want them to be influenced by our job (cleaning), as most of the kids in the community take to it. We had wished that  the kids should stay in a good institution where they could completely focus on their education and at a place where we could visit them frequently to monitor their well being and shower our love on them. We are happy that finally it has happened," guardian Nataraj said.