The Documentary Podcast India’s Shadow Children
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Mar 31, 2026 Stephanie (Chaya), an intercountry adoptee raised in France who returns to India to search for her birth mother. She explores adoption paperwork, an orphanage file that reveals her birth name, visits convents and hospitals, and traces cultural roots in Maharashtra. The journey uncovers gaps, warm welcomes, and a decision to pause the search while feeling closer to her origins.
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Adoptee Returns To Mumbai To Search For Origins
- Stephanie was adopted from Mumbai as baby Chaya and grew up in France believing she was "absolutely abandoned and destitute."
- After her adoptive parents died, she sought her origins and travelled to Mumbai with Tanya Datta to search for her birth mother.
Official Papers Erase Birth Origins
- Adoption documents erased key identity details, labelling Stephanie "absolutely abandoned and destitute," while the orphanage file named her birth mother Suman.
- That discrepancy illustrates systemic loss of origin information during inter-country adoptions.
Orphanage Shares First Name But Protects Privacy
- Sister Josiane emailed Stephanie a private birth file revealing she was surrendered by an unmarried woman called Suman, but refused to disclose the mother's surname.
- The convent cited confidentiality and the mother's wish as reasons to withhold further details.