Four-year-old Heer living in an Ahmedabad’s orphanage will soon have a new home — in Spain. On Monday, Ana Pilar Gil de la Puente, a 42-year old Spanish woman, completed the adoption procedures for the little girl and took the evening flight to Mumbai, from where she will be headed back home. Heer was found abandoned a road about two years ago and was handed over to the Shishu Gruh.
Speaking to News18, Ana said that this is indeed a thrilling day in her life. Asked what is in store for Heer in Spain, she said, “First of all, I will walk her through all the toys that have been setting up in her room. And then she will meet her cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents.”
It was her visit to India 17 years ago — when she worked with the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata — that inspired Ana to adopt an Indian child. “I had decided during my stay then that if I do not get married by the time I am 40, and if I do not have my biological children, I would adopt a child from India. And it did turn out to be exactly that way,” she said.
A professional French teacher, Ana is proficient in several other European languages. She said the adoption procedure lasted for a couple of years, but she is now extremely happy to have Heer as her child. “I have taken maternity leave for a few months. It is important that Heer gets acquainted with the culture back home and I should be able to spend maximum time with the child,” she said.
Asked if she would be interested in tracing Heer’s roots and family background, her new mother said: “After she turns 18, I will bring her to the city of her birth again. As of now, neither I nor anybody from the children’s home have any idea about her biological parents. If Heer wishes to try and trace her parents, I would be more than willing to help her do so.”
C K Patel, trustee of the Bal Saurakshan Gruh, said: “This is the 84th child that has been adopted from the Bal Saurakshan Gruh in Ahmedabad. Many of these children have experienced great success in life. Heer was loved by everyone while she was at the Shishu Bhavan and I am sure she will receive even more love from her new family. It is indeed true that love knows no boundaries at all.”
Ahmedabad district collector Vikrant Pandey, who handed over the necessary legal papers of Heer’s adoption to Ana, said that while adoptions take place regularly within the country, this case is indeed special. “Ana’s family will get to know a lot about Indian culture while Heer will be brought up in the Spanish culture. The Shishu Gruh and the Bal Saurakshan Bhavan have done commendable work in the past decades to give a new lease of life to children. I am sure that Heer also has a bright future in store for her.”
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