Rani was misled about biological mother by adoptive parents

Rani (39) from Maarheeze was just 2 years old when she was adopted from her native India by a Flemish couple. She soon ran into numerous problems with her adoptive parents. She recently found out that her biological mother is probably still alive and has started a search. "My adoptive parents kept this from me for years."

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Jade Smith

Rani was picked up in India by her adoptive father. “I had tapeworms in my intestines when I entered Belgium. In all likelihood I was ill and therefore my biological mother had to give me up, ”says Rani.

At first she had a good relationship with her adoptive father, which she never got with her adoptive mother. “We tried to get this bond by going on trips together, but she never felt like my 'real' mother,” says Rani. As a four-year-old she already realized that these were not her biological parents. "My skin color was different and I was forced to say mom and dad."

Rani as a child

Rani as a child

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"I was locked up in a summerhouse."

Pretty soon, the relationship with her father also changed and a tense atmosphere within the family developed. Rani, she says, grew up in a loveless family. “I was mistreated on several fronts: beaten, locked up in a summerhouse and I had to sleep in the bath or the garage a few times from my father. Sometimes my father didn't talk to me for days. He said I couldn't do anything and was unmanageable.

The woman felt that she had been used as a showpiece all these years. Her adoptive parents already had two sons, but they wanted one more daughter. “A child from India was a hype at the time. I think my adoptive father saw me as a trophy. Like, look, I rescued a girl from a poor country, ”says Rani.

Rani with her adoptive father in India.

Rani with her adoptive father in India.

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The arguments with the adoptive parents made her want more and more for her own biological mother. “Since I have children of my own, I have noticed how important it is to know who my parents are and where I was born. I wouldn't have peace of mind if I didn't know, ”says Rani. She missed her biological mother very much and therefore wrote a moving song about her.

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Last week, after not having had contact with her adoptive parents for 16 years, Rani was told that her biological mother was still alive. “When I was 13, my parents went to India and she learned from the children's home that my mother was still alive but unmarried,” she says.

Her parents had deliberately not told her because they thought Rani was not ready. “My adoptive parents kept this from me for years. They thought I would never look for my biological mother. "

But Rani always had a suspicion that her mother would still be alive. That is why she set up a foundation with her husband John a few months ago, so that mothers in India can find their children and vice versa.

"My mother worked on a tea plantation."

The search for her mother has been set in full swing through the foundation. “I am almost certain now that my mother worked on a tea plantation and that I was taken in by nuns,” says Rani. She and her husband John are also happy with the recognition of the Joustra Committee, which investigated errors in international adoptions. "Many mistakes could have been made with Rani as well, we are now trying to find out", says John.

A number of board members are being sought for the Rani Foundation . "The foundation cannot survive without this board," said Rani.

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