Spanish woman’s race against time to find biological mother in India. Time left: 1 day

Sneha and her brother were adopted by Spanish couple in 2010 from an orphanage in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, after their biological mother abandoned them.

A Spanish woman is in India in search of her biological mother who had allegedly abandoned her along with her brother 20 year ago. However, the 21-year old woman only has a day left until she returns to Spain for her educational commitments.
Sneha Enrique Vidal, left, a 21-year-old girl from Spain who was adopted as a child from Odisha by a Spanish couple and has now returned to Bhubaneswar to find her biological parents. (PTI)

Sneha and her brother Somu were adopted by Spanish couple Gema Vidal and Juan Josh in 2010 from an orphanage in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, their home state, according to news agency PTI.

The siblings were sheltered at the orphanage after their mother, Banalata Das, abandoned them in 2005.

Sneha Enrique Vidal is a researcher in children's education and wanted to trace her roots, bringing her to India with scant information about her past.

Sneha's hunt for her biological parents

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.

"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," news agency PTI quoted Sneha as saying.

She said her Spanish parents have given the siblings everything in life and never made them feel like they were adopted, ensuring the best education and freedom to make their own choices.

"They have given us unconditional love," Sneha said.

Sneha's Spanish mother is a yoga teacher in Zaragoza city of Spain. Gema and Sneha reache Bhubaneswar on December 19 last year and have been staying in a hotel since then. Somu, however, could not come as he was busy with some work in Spain.

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If they do not find Sneha's biological mother by Monday, they will come back in March for a longer stay.

"We have to return to Spain as Sneha has joined a training programme which should not be discontinued. If we do not get Banalata in the next 24 hours, we will come back to Bhubaneswar in March," Gema said.

When Sneha, Somu were abandoned

Banalata had abandoned Sneha and Somu at their rented house in Nayapally area in Bhubaneswar in 2005, the PTI report mentioned. Banalata's husband Santosh, who worked as a cook in a private firm, had earlier abandoned his family, which comprised his wife, and four children, including Sneha and Somu.

Later, Banalata also left the rented house with another son and daughter, leaving behind Sneha and Somu. The house owner later informed the police and they were shifted to an orphanage.

In 2010, Sneha and Somu were legally adopted by the Spanish couple.

Gema had earlier revealed to Sneha and Somu about their roots in Odisha and that they were adopted.

During their frantic search in Bhubaneswar, Gema and Sneha came across a retired teacher of Rama Devi Women's University, Sneha Sudha Mishra, who helped them find out the names of her parents. Gema and Sneha were reportedly monetarily exploited by some people during their initial days in India.

"In fact, Sneha's mother cried in front of me, seeking help to locate Banalata. Together, we searched for her parents before approaching the police for help. Gema is a noble and affectionate woman having an in-depth understanding of Indian culture and philosophy," the report qyoted Mishra as saying.

Mishra said language was a major problem for Gema to communicate with locals but she has been helping the mother-daughter duo.

With the help of Mishra, Sneha and Gema met city Commissioner of Police Dev Datta Singh, who assigned the job of locating Banalata Das and Santosh Das to two police personnel Anjali Chhotray and Gangadhar Pradhan.

"We have found out that Banalata Das and Santosh are from Badamba-Narsinghpur area in Cuttack district. We have engaged police and panchayat functionaries to locate them," Inspector Anjali Chhotray said.

"People here, especially the media and police, have helped us a lot," Sneha said.