• Latest
  • Trending
‘I was looking for my mother but found my twin instead’

‘I was looking for my mother but found my twin instead’

June 4, 2018
Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Activists Sentenced For 2019 Protests

Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Activists Sentenced For 2019 Protests

April 18, 2021
The Reasoning Behind Afghanistan Withdrawal

The Reasoning Behind Afghanistan Withdrawal

April 17, 2021
Facebooks bikini girls

Facebooks bikini girls

April 6, 2021
U.S. official: Washington to consult closely with allies on North Korea policy

U.S. official: Washington to consult closely with allies on North Korea policy

April 5, 2021
Militants attack military bases in southern Somalia

Militants attack military bases in southern Somalia

April 5, 2021
Oxfam suspends 2 aid workers under investigation in DRC

Oxfam suspends 2 aid workers under investigation in DRC

April 4, 2021
China Intends to Occupy More Disputed Areas, Philippines Says

China Intends to Occupy More Disputed Areas, Philippines Says

April 4, 2021
China: Defense budget to grow by 6.8 % to maintain upgrades

China: Defense budget to grow by 6.8 % to maintain upgrades

March 6, 2021
Pakistan PM: Will sit on opposition benches if loses confidence vote

Pakistan PM: Will sit on opposition benches if loses confidence vote

March 5, 2021
Pakistan: Maryam Nawaz prevails in elections

Pakistan: Maryam Nawaz prevails in elections

March 5, 2021
Putin May Have Triggered an Attempted Coup in Armenia

Putin May Have Triggered an Attempted Coup in Armenia

March 1, 2021
Karma the Hollywood curse

Karma the Hollywood curse

March 1, 2021
citizendaily
  • Asia News
    • Northeast Asia
      • China
      • Japan
    • North Korea
    • Oceania
      • Australia
      • New Zealand
    • South Asia
      • Afghanistan
      • Bangladesh
      • India
      • Pakistan
    • Southeast Asia
      • Indonesia
      • Malaysia
      • Philippines
      • Singapore
      • Thailand
  • World News
    • Africa
    • Europe
      • Germany
      • United Kingdom
    • Latin America
      • Cuba
      • Mexico
    • Middle East
      • Gulf States
      • Iran
      • Iraq
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Syria
    • North America
      • Canada
      • United States
    • Russian Federation
  • Economy
    • Brexit
    • Free Market
  • Politics
    • ASEAN
    • Diplomacy
    • ISIS
    • National Defence & Security
  • Editorial
  • Environment
    • Climate Change
    • Forests
    • Water & Oceans
    • Wildlife & Endangered Species
  • Lifestyle
    • Books & Literature
    • Entertainment
    • Food & Dining
    • Religion
    • Travel
    • Tech
  • Sports
No Result
View All Result
Tuesday, April 20, 2021
  • Asia News
    • Northeast Asia
      • China
      • Japan
    • North Korea
    • Oceania
      • Australia
      • New Zealand
    • South Asia
      • Afghanistan
      • Bangladesh
      • India
      • Pakistan
    • Southeast Asia
      • Indonesia
      • Malaysia
      • Philippines
      • Singapore
      • Thailand
  • World News
    • Africa
    • Europe
      • Germany
      • United Kingdom
    • Latin America
      • Cuba
      • Mexico
    • Middle East
      • Gulf States
      • Iran
      • Iraq
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Syria
    • North America
      • Canada
      • United States
    • Russian Federation
  • Economy
    • Brexit
    • Free Market
  • Politics
    • ASEAN
    • Diplomacy
    • ISIS
    • National Defence & Security
  • Editorial
  • Environment
    • Climate Change
    • Forests
    • Water & Oceans
    • Wildlife & Endangered Species
  • Lifestyle
    • Books & Literature
    • Entertainment
    • Food & Dining
    • Religion
    • Travel
    • Tech
  • Sports
No Result
View All Result
citizendaily
No Result
View All Result

‘I was looking for my mother but found my twin instead’

June 4, 2018
in Asia News, Featured, India
0
Home Asia News
Post Views: 322

 

“The first time I saw my brother, I just froze.

“I couldn’t say anything. We sat down on the sofa in his house. There was silence. Then I started to cry.

“The first words he said to me were ‘don’t cry’. Then he took my hand. Everyone who was there cried as well. It was a magical moment.”

RelatedPosts

India needs prudent Opposition response to Modi’s China policy

Shinzo Abe has made Japan a leader again

China-India border dispute may force South Asian neighbours to pick a side

Countries unite against Beijing’s ‘bully tactics’

Google to offer loans to merchants in India

Kiran Gustafsson was 33 when she met her twin for the first time.

It was an unexpected twist to an already emotional journey. Kiran had returned to India to search for her biological mother. The last thing she expected to find was a missing twin.

Growing up in Sweden with her adoptive family, Kiran says she had warm and loving parents who gave her everything a child could want.

Her parents – retired teacher Maria Wernant and businessman Kjell-Ake – had always been open about the fact that she had been adopted from an orphanage in Surat, a city in the western Indian state of Gujarat, when she was three.

‘Something was always missing’

Kiran says she has no memories of those early years.

“My parents never made me feel different. They always told me to be proud of what I am. I couldn’t ask for anything more in my upbringing,” she told the BBC.

Yet, she admits, she always felt something was missing. She was jealous of the connection between her two younger siblings for instance. She felt they were close to each other in a way they never would be with her.

As she grew older, she says that feeling of emptiness intensified. Finally she spoke to her family about it. They were very supportive and in 2000 the entire family undertook a trip to Surat.

She visited again in 2005, this time with her college class as a part of a course on sociology and human rights.

But these trips left her with more questions.

Back home in Sweden, she researched more about her adoption, found out more details about the orphanage she was adopted from. By 2010, she had made the decision to look for her biological mother but was not sure how to go about it.

Kiran with her siblings
Growing up, Kiran said she was jealous of her siblings closeness to one another

“My parents were OK with my decision. They told me they were proud of me and they loved me,” she said.

But she followed through on her decision only six years later.

In 2016, Kiran, now a career counsellor, found herself attending a lecture by Arun Dohle, the co-founder of the Netherlands-based NGO Against Child Trafficking. Like her, he was from India. Like her, he had been adopted.

In his talk, Mr Dohle outlined his own legal battle to get information about his biological mother in India.

Inspired, Kiran began communicating with Dohle. He connected her with child protection worker Anjali Pawar who agreed to help.

Through her inquiries, Ms Pawar was able to uncover Kiran’s mother’s identity. Her name was Sindhu Goswami and she had been employed as a domestic servant in Surat.

She also found that Kiran had been almost two when her mother had left her at the orphanage. But she made frequent visits to meet her there. She had also given the officials her work address.

Armed with this information, Kiran returned to India in April, accompanied by a friend. She met her mother’s former employers but the information they gave her was not enough to go on. They couldn’t tell where she was now, or if she was even alive. But they did give her a photograph.

“We look like each other,” says Kiran.

Kiran's biological mother
Kiran was able to get this old photograph of Sindhu Goswami from the family she had been employed with

Those were emotional days for Kiran. But the biggest shock was yet to come.

Ms Pawar had managed to find Kiran’s birth certificate. And that was when she found out she had a twin brother.

“It was unbelievable. The questions about feelings of connection and belonging were answered. I was shocked. It was amazing,” Kiran said.

She decided to start looking for her brother.

This was thankfully, not a difficult search. He had been adopted by a Surat family and was currently a businessman.

Kiran Gustafsson
Kiran says the photo of her biological mother proves they share similar features

Meeting him was not easy though. It turned out his family had never told him he was adopted. They were reluctant to tell him. It took a lot of persuasion to get them to agree.

Eventually, the twins met in an emotional reunion.

“We discovered each other, but we still have so many questions. There is still sadness,” Kiran says.

She says that her brother, who has asked not to be identified in the media for now, told her “that he had the exact same feeling that something was missing in his life.”

“When we said goodbye that day it was still surreal so we didn’t say much.”

The siblings decided to meet at Kiran’s hotel the next day to talk some more.

“He told me he was afraid of losing me again. And he didn’t want to see me leave for the airport, so he left early,” Kiran said.

“When we parted, he gave me a hug and just left with his father. In that moment I felt so empty. But he promised me that we would celebrate our next birthday together in Sweden.”

Source :
BBC
Tags: indiaKiran GustafssonSweden
Previous Post

Tom Cruise: Feel The Need…Top Gun sequel

Next Post

Garuda pilots to fly during Idul Fitri holiday, delay strike

Related Posts

Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Activists Sentenced For 2019 Protests
ASEAN

Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Activists Sentenced For 2019 Protests

April 18, 2021
The Reasoning Behind Afghanistan Withdrawal
Afghanistan

The Reasoning Behind Afghanistan Withdrawal

April 17, 2021
Facebooks bikini girls
Asia News

Facebooks bikini girls

April 6, 2021
U.S. official: Washington to consult closely with allies on North Korea policy
ASEAN

U.S. official: Washington to consult closely with allies on North Korea policy

April 5, 2021
Militants attack military bases in southern Somalia
Asia News

Militants attack military bases in southern Somalia

April 5, 2021
Oxfam suspends 2 aid workers under investigation in DRC
Africa

Oxfam suspends 2 aid workers under investigation in DRC

April 4, 2021
Next Post
Garuda pilots to fly during Idul Fitri holiday, delay strike

Garuda pilots to fly during Idul Fitri holiday, delay strike

Translate

Subscription

Popular Post

Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Activists Sentenced For 2019 Protests
ASEAN

Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Activists Sentenced For 2019 Protests

April 18, 2021
0

  Hong Kong (17/4).       Nine veteran activists and lawmakers in Hong Kong have been sentenced to prison terms...

Read more

NGOs call for mass boycott of palm oil giant IOI

June 29, 2016
No peace for Greenpeace

No peace for Greenpeace

July 1, 2016

The Case Against Greenpeace

July 1, 2016
Children in ISIS Nusantara Media Outreach

Children in ISIS Nusantara Media Outreach

July 2, 2016
  • About Us
  • Creative Commons
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Disclaimer
  • Contact Us

Topics

Follow Us

About Us

citizendaily.news is part of the citizen Daily Media Group LLC, which delivers daily news around the globe. ​

© 2012 The Citizen Daily

No Result
View All Result
  • Asia News
    • Northeast Asia
      • China
      • Japan
    • North Korea
    • Oceania
      • Australia
      • New Zealand
    • South Asia
      • Afghanistan
      • Bangladesh
      • India
      • Pakistan
    • Southeast Asia
      • Indonesia
      • Malaysia
      • Philippines
      • Singapore
      • Thailand
  • World News
    • Africa
    • Europe
      • Germany
      • United Kingdom
    • Latin America
      • Cuba
      • Mexico
    • Middle East
      • Gulf States
      • Iran
      • Iraq
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Syria
    • North America
      • Canada
      • United States
    • Russian Federation
  • Economy
    • Brexit
    • Free Market
  • Politics
    • ASEAN
    • Diplomacy
    • ISIS
    • National Defence & Security
  • Editorial
  • Environment
    • Climate Change
    • Forests
    • Water & Oceans
    • Wildlife & Endangered Species
  • Lifestyle
    • Books & Literature
    • Entertainment
    • Food & Dining
    • Religion
    • Travel
    • Tech
  • Sports

© 2012 The Citizen Daily