Friendly battle to adopt daughter in Bhubaneshwar

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government may have some issues with its Chhattisgarh counterpart with regard to sharing of the Mahanadi water. But the people of both the states, considered natural allies,  have never shown any intolerance or animosity towards each other.

However, people of both states are now fighting, albeit a friendly battle, to adopt Sony Yadav, a 14-year-old girl of Raigarh, who was rescued on Wednesday by Odisha fishermen in Jharsuguda after being swept away for over 50 km.

Sony, who lost her parents a few years ago, was swept away in Mahanadi water on Tuesday while going to offer prayers at Chandrahasini Devi temple on the bank of the river at Raigarh in Chhattisgarh.

Fishermen of Kusumel village under Lakhanpur block in Odisha’s Jharsuguda district rescued the girl in unconscious state and admitted her to the local hospital.

After she regained her sense, Sony narrated her story and informed about her address in Chhattisgarh. Having been informed by the villagers of Kusumel, Sony’s aunt (mother’s sister) and a few other relatives came to Odisha to take her back. However, Sanyasi Kalo, one the fishermen who had rescued Sony, expressed her interest to adopt the girl.

“I have three sons. Perhaps God has sent Sony as my daughter. I will be happy if she lives with us as our family member,” Sanyasi told the girl’s aunt and other relatives, with his eyes welled up with tears.

The villagers also told Sony’s relatives that the entire village wanted to adopt the girl as its daughter and promised that they would take care of her education and marriage.

Seeing the overwhelming love and affection for her, Sony could not hold back her emotions and cried like a child. And, she finally consented to live with the family of Sanyasi Kalo.

“As per requirement under law, Sony has gone to Chhattisgarh to assist the local police in its probe to ascertain under which circumstance she was swept away. Some of our villagers have gone with her to Raigarh. After the required probe is over, she has promised to return to live with us as our daughter. We are eagerly waiting for her arrival here,” said members of Jagannath Yuvak Sangh of Kusumel.