Adopting a new found joy Coupled with a joy forever
Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jul 30, 2005
Tamil Nadu - Thanjavur Printer Friendly Page Send this Article to a Friend
Adopting a new found joy Coupled with a joy forever
G. Srinivasan
REJOICE: The couple, Imayavaramban and Kamala, with their adopted girl child, Jayalakshmi, sharing their experience with the Collector, M. Veera Shanmugha Moni, at an awareness meeting on adoption at Thanjavur on Friday. — Photo: S.S. Kumar
THANJAVUR: "We are happy, after we adopted Jayalakshmi," said a couple, showing their adopted girl, who is 15-month-old now, to the Collector, M. Veera Shanmugha Moni, at Thanjavur on Friday.
Sharing their joy at an awareness workshop on `Adoption of children' organised by the District Social Welfare Department, the couple, Imayavaramban and Kamala, said they had no child for a long time owing to some medical reasons.
Following this, relatives of Imayavaramban insisted him to marry another girl and Kamala also accepted to the idea.
But then, Imayavaramban, a staunch follower of Periyar, decided to adopt a child, that too a baby girl as the late leader gave importance for development of women."It was Periyar EVR who christened me Imayavaramban. Being a follower of Periyar I thought of adopting a girl child," Imayavaramban reasoned.
The couple, with the help of the Social Welfare Department and Thanjavur district administration approached the Sisters of the Cross Society for Educatrion and Development (SOC SEAD) - a non-Governmental organisation at Tiruchi and adopted Jayalakshmi.
"We adopted her when she was six months old. She is now 15 months old," said Kamala proudly.
The Collector said that in Thanjavur district, in the last five years, 31 abandoned children have been rescued and handed over to NGOs such as SOC SEAD. Out of the 31, fourteen were male and 17 were female.
Dr. Maria Kamalam, Director of SOC SEAD, said that from 1987 onwards, so far the NGO has received 540 children out of whom 458 have been given in adoption both within the country and outside.
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