Adoption in Indian: The Changing Dynamics

By Anubhav Das:

Adopting a child in India a few decades back was something that couldn’t even be imagined. After all, it was a question of acquiring a right to nourish and cherish the fruit grown by somebody else and our society did not permit any relation which wasn’t out of blood. But times have changed and we have seen a paradigm shift in people’ attitude towards raising a child. Kudos to some of the daring parents who started the trend and went on with it in spite of facing a strong opposition by the society.

Legally speaking, except for adoption by Hindus, Indian law has no provision for adoption. Children are placed under guardianship of adopting parents to exit the country, and adoption must take place in the parents’ home country. But the more important aspect is whether we as a society have accepted adoption or not! Well, the answers can be contemplated in various ways. To a section of our society, it has been received as good news and is practiced by many people who aren’t blessed biologically by the almighty. Perhaps, some people are taking this option otherwise too. It is for this reason that adoption agencies have become a good business venture and is flourishing in the urban parts of India. Encouragement by friends and family is also a factor in inclining a couple to take this option of raising a child that does not have their genes. But such is not the case in majority sections of our country. Some of us still think that children are a miracle of god and if somebody has been deprived of it biologically, he has no right to acquire it otherwise. It is even condemned as a sin in some of the societies and is considered to be equivalent to snatching or stealing the property of somebody else. Only more grave! On the other side of the coin, sometimes people are also hesitant in taking this step as they are afraid to swim against the tide. Most of the time it is the fear of answering, either to the society or to the child (in future).

Looking at a wider picture, in a land where many children are left alone on streets by people who are not economically capable of rearing a child, adoption can be a good option to go with. For the good of both, the child and the adult. After all, how many times does it happen when we see a child alone in the streets and don’t feel a sense of sympathy. Well, this can be our step to converting that sympathy into empathy. I mean it’s all about how the affected parties take it because ultimately it’s the child and the parents who are to bare the results and I also second the point that adoption can be fruitful only if the baby is adopted at a very tender age and raised from his/her infancy that is from the point when he is less than 2 years old because only then can he accept his/her parents in the best way. In my views, there is nothing wrong in adopting a baby as relations may be made of blood but are sustained and nourished on love and if somebody is ready provide that love and affection, there’s no harm in letting him take the biggest responsibility and fulfilling it.