21-Year-Old Spanish Girl Returns to Odisha to Find Biological Mother After 20 Years

Bhubaneswar: A Spanish citizen identified as Sneha, has returned to India in search of her biological mother who had abandoned her and her brother 20 years ago.

However, 21-year-old Sneha is running out of time as she has to return to Spain on Monday for her educational commitments.

The researcher in children's education wanted to trace her roots and reached India with scanty information about her past.

Her Spanish parents Gema Vidal and Juan Josh supported her in her quest and Gema accompanied Sneha to her home state. 

Adopted by Spanish Parents in 2010

They had adopted Sneha and her brother Somu in 2010 from an orphanage in Bhubaneswar, where they were kept after their mother Banalata Das abandoned them in 2005.

"The purpose of my journey from Spain to Bhubaneswar is to find my biological parents, especially my mother. I want to find her and meet her. I am fully prepared for the journey even if it is difficult," Sneha told the news agency PTI.

Asked if she would chide her biological mother for abandoning her, Sneha remained mum. 

She was only over a year old, and her brother was just a few months old at that time.

Sneha, accompanied by Gema, a yoga teacher from Zaragoza, Spain, arrived in Bhubaneswar on December 19 last year and has been staying in a hotel since then. However, Somu could not join them due to work commitments in Spain.

Determined to Find Her Mother

The duo is determined to find Sneha's biological mother, Banalata Das. If their efforts do not yield results by Monday, they plan to return in March for an extended stay.

"Sneha has enrolled in a training program in Spain, and it’s crucial she doesn’t miss it. If we cannot locate Banalata within the next 24 hours, we will return in March to continue the search," Gema explained.

Banalata abandoned Sneha and her brother Somu in 2005 at a rented house in Bhubaneswar's Nayapally area. Her husband, Santosh, who worked as a cook in a private firm, had already deserted the family, leaving behind his wife and four children, including Sneha and Somu. Banalata later left the rented house with her other two children, leaving Sneha and Somu behind. The house owner eventually alerted the police, who moved the siblings to an orphanage.

In 2010, Sneha and Somu, then aged five and four respectively, were legally adopted by a Spanish couple.

"Sneha is very responsible and educated; she’s the joy of our lives," said Gema, expressing her pride in her daughter.

Gema had previously informed Sneha and Somu about their roots in Odisha and their adoption. Inspired by this knowledge, Sneha, now conducting research and well-educated, decided to locate her biological mother. Gema accompanied her on this journey.

Their search led them to Sneha Sudha Mishra, a retired teacher from Rama Devi Women’s University, who assisted in identifying Sneha’s biological parents. Mishra shared that they obtained the parents' names from the Nayapally house owner and verified them with the police and the orphanage.

With Mishra's help, Sneha and Gema approached City Commissioner of Police Dev Datta Singh. He assigned the task of locating Banalata and Santosh Das to police officers Anjali Chhotray and Gangadhar Pradhan.

"We discovered that Banalata and Santosh are originally from the Badamba-Narsinghpur area in Cuttack district. We are coordinating with the police and panchayat officials to find them," Inspector Chhotray confirmed.

(With PTI inputs)