On a different note..

This is a post, I was planning on writing for a while now.

I visited a State home (run by the Govt of AP)in Hyderabad as part of my Foundation Course training. The home had separate wings for elderly women, girls, and children/orphans of different ages. Even though I did visit quite a few NGOs before, this experience was definitely one of the most profound ones.

We spent the whole day interacting with the inmates, had lunch there, all in all had a very good time. But it was pretty apparent that the best side of the home was in display as our's was a scheduled visit. A typical "high profile" (acc to them of course) govt visit of about 180 of us visiting the home, so I can't really say what the actual condition of the home was, I'm sure it was spruced up for us. Everyone was dressed in the best of the clothes. I guess, I will have to go back soon to see how painted the picture was.

However, it felt the most real with the infants/toddlers. There were just born preemies, one was born two days ago and picked up from a street in some town nearby n brought here. What we did get to see was, even though the kids who came to the home were severely malnourished, the ones who stayed on for a while recovered to become these adorable healthy munchkins, I just couldn't stop myself from picking them up!

What was heartening to see was the caretakers or "Aayaas" as they are called were showing off their kids albeit in a quite subtle way. They were proud.

Indian couples from across the world, NRIs have actually volunteered to adopt kids from this home. Kids with health problems are given a priority. At the end of the day, I realized I didn't know much about the process of adoption in India. I only heard it was cumbersome and it took a really long time for parents to adopt children through the proper channel.

Our 100-day long training also required us to research on any contemporary issue and submit a report, and I used that opportunity to learn about how children are adopted through these state homes in India.

http://www.adoptionindia.nic.in/ is the website that you can refer, to learn about the process in detail.

Just to summarize, a "Prospective Adoptive Parent" has to register with a specialized adoption agency preferably with the one closest to their residence or on the website given above. Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) is an autonomous body under the Ministry of Women & Child Development, Government of India. It functions as the nodal body for adoption of Indian children and is mandated to monitor and regulate in-country and inter-country adoptions. CARA primarily deals with adoption of orphan, abandoned and surrendered children through its associated /recognised adoption agencies.


All existing child care institutions housing orphan, abandoned and surrendered children are required to register with the State Government and apply for recognition as Special Adoption Agency(SAA). After being recognised as SAA, such agencies should register under CARINGS to be part of CARA network. CARINGS would facilitate linkages between agencies to ensure early rehabilitation of the child.


The FAQ section in this website answers quite a few questions on the eligibility and conditions for adoption. It takes time and a lot of effort to ensure that children find safe homes to ensure their healthy development. All the steps are indeed to ensure that the rights of the children are protected.

India is home to half of world's undernourished children which speaks a lot about the healthcare system in our country. Being one of the most populous countries in the world, a lot needs to be done to encourage adoption. There are several socio-economic hurdles that hinder one from adoptiing a child. In a country where female infanticide is rampant, expecting people to adopt a child, a girl child in particular is quite a hassle indeed.

How about have one kid of your own and adopt another? Yes genetics play a huge part in shaping your child. But you can effectively pass on your ideologies, belief systems, habits and so much more to your child even if you do not pass on your "sharp nose" or your skin colour.

Studies have failed to explain complex traits like intelligence whether it depends on nature or nurture. How intelligent and capable your child is depends on not only his/her genotype but also on the environment he/she has been brought up in.

Why not give it a shot? :)