German woman meets biological mother in Gumla after 27 years
K A Gupta
Gumla: In a fairytale of sorts, a 27-year-old Indian-born German woman travelled 7,000 km to the tribal heartland of Gumla to meet her biological mother after 27 years. It was an emotional reunion for Sarika Kratz - a psychology student living in Dusseldorf - and her mother as the two met privately at an undisclosed location on Sunday.
"I am very happy to meet my mother. She is very nice. I have been impressed by her," she told TOI. The meeting point of Kratz and her mother, a tribal woman now in her fifties, was kept under wraps respecting the latter's wish.
The mother, who had given up Kratz to the Missionaries of Charity 27 winters ago identified her lost child from the latter's photographs. "She must continue her study with zeal and not think about me only," the mother said.
The mother and the daughter's story, according to the NGO Sakhee which arranged the reunion, dates back to 1988 in Nawadih village of Gumla district when the mother, then unwed and poor, handed over one-year Sarika to the Missionaries of Charity in New Delhi. Then adopted by the Kratz couple, Sarita moved to Dusseldorf where she lives today.
Sarita's search began when she was 13 after she learnt from her parents that her roots are in India, Sakhee director Anjali Pawar told TOI. The case reached her through a German adoptee who works to stop child trafficking.
Sakhee tracked down Sarita's mother in Nawadih village two months before the re-union. "I had been dreaming about my mother for the last 14 years. It is a dream come true," Sarika said. The mother and the daughter also toured the village after their meeting.
Talking of the mental framework of Sarika before she went to meet her mother, Jenet Kratz said, "She was nervous. She thought how her mother would be and what will she be doing. But she was happy after the meeting," Jenet said.
Interestingly, Sarika will celebrate her 28th birthday on December 17. "It is certainly the best birthday gift I have had," she said.
"Our efforts are that there should not be sale and purchase (trafficking) of children in the name of adoption. And the agency through which adoption is finalized, should support in finding out the parents of such adoptees which can be possible with full secrecy," added Pawar.