Madurai: It was a heart-warming moment on Christmas morning on Sunday when the district collector Veera Raghava Rao gave away a girl baby to a childless Hindu couple on adoption at Claretian Mercy Home located at Azhagusirai, an interior village in Madurai district.
It was indeed a very special Christmas gift for the couple from Tirunelveli who had married ten years ago and undergone fertility treatment in various hospitals for nearly five years spending several lakh of rupees. The couple had come with their extended family to take the child home, which was a message to society that there was nothing wrong in adopting children.
“It is God’s gift to us. We are pleased to receive the baby from the collector,” the visibly happy couple said. The elders in the family appealed to the childless couple to go for adoption instead of wasting their money at fertility centres. “By subjecting our daughter-in-law to various treatments, the doctors had completely spoiled her health condition,” said the elders.
Endorsing this view, M Viviliyarajan, district child Protection Officer said nearly 100 couples, on an average, approach the unit seeking for adoption in a month, but many among them specially women, were suffering from various health problems.
Meanwhile, it was emotional moment for the sister in the Home who had been nurturing the baby Ayushi for the last four months. The baby was rescued from Usilampatti area, once notorious for child infanticide.
The sisters broken into tears when the Father Siluvai Muthu, director of the Claretian Mercy Home held a final prayer with the couple and their family members before they left the home with the child. The district collector, Sri. Rao planted a family tree in remembrance of Aysushi along with the children in the premises. “I am happy to celebrate this Christmas with you. Whatever may be our destiny, we all should work towards achieving our goals,” Sri.Rao told the children.
Earlier, he also inspected the facilities provided for the children at the home along with Usilampatti RDO Suganya, Dhanasekarpandian, deputy director, department of social Defence, Madurai region, and Viviliyarajan. The collector appreciated the office-bearers of the Home for providing best care for the children. Since the year 2000, the Home has given 382 children on adoption as per the Central Adoption Resource Authority norms.
Father Jesus Doss, Claritian Provincial, Chennai, and Father Susai Manikam, Vice Claritian Provincial, Chennai, also participated in the event.
