CHENNAI: Esther (33), a French teacher in Liege, had reconciled herself to the fact that she was an orphan from India, adopted by her Belgian parents Maurice and Madeline. And then, on a sojourn to her native land 28 years after she was adopted, Esther was told she had a mother and sister in Chennai. Twists of destiny and turns of luck finally reunited her with them, albeit temporarily.
She landed in Chennai with her friend Delphine on December 16 to find out about the children's home from where she — then named Gomathi — was adopted as a five-year-old. She knew that a person called Pastor Mani, who used to write to her Belgian parents, had put her up for adoption. All she had was a greying photograph of herself with a foreigner taken at a Chennai beach when she was four years old, and an address from an old letter Mani had sent her Belgian parents.
"Her parents were apprehensive when she informed them that she was going to Chennai to find out about Pastor Mani and his children's home," said Delphine, who became friends with Esther at a music class.
While wandering about on Wallajah Road, Esther and Delphine met Bhawanesh Deora, who runs the NGO Shreyans Foundation. Deora helped them trace Mani, who said that her mother and elder sister were living in Thirumullaivoyal. And then on December 22, Esther, who loves Bollywood music and Chinese food, met her mother and sister for the first time.
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