Asha Miro, the Indo-Spanish author of the bestseller Daughter of the Ganges talks on ‘Adoption and Gender Bias' with Indian feminist and publisher, Urvashi Butalia. By Devi Singh
The bestseller about a girl’s adoption and her return journey to India which got translated in 15 languages is actually Asha Miro’s story. Known as a spokesperson on adoption, Mori finds the topic close to her heart. Originally from Nasik, Maharashtra, Mori was adopted by a Catalan couple at the age of six. She has lived in Barcelona ever since and took up music just like her foster parents. In Delhi, to talk about her books and social work, she emphasises on feminism and the misinterpretations about adoption.
In conversation with Urvashi Butalia, co-founder of Kali for Women, Miro talks about her past and how her foster parents helped in search for her true identity. “I have been writing my dairy everyday ever since I was a little girl. It is a habit my mother inculcated in me. Writing daily has become a part of my life, I feel incomplete if I don’t follow my routine.
My mother used to write a diary on her experiences when she adopted me. And the first part of the book consists of excerpts from that diary. The second part comprises of what I used to keep as my diary,” she says. Miro says her parents always encouraged her in her endeavors to find her roots. As a family they had a lot of discussions about adoption. “My parents openly discussed everything. The topic of adoption was never a taboo in our house,” she adds.
She hopes to get her book translated in English, so that her story can reach out to a wider audience in India. “My father took me to an orphanage run by catholic nuns so that some rich family could adopt me. But my Indian roots brought me back to discover my family and sister,” Mori says.
Miro pressed on the issue of families being uncomfortable about adoption. The foster parents should make their adopted children aware of the fact that they were adopted so that they can have a more stable and enriching life. “My case was different as I was five-years-old when I was adopted. I was aware of the facts. But in most cases when children are very young, parents must share with them about their adoption. It is a very important aspect of your life to know you roots and come back to the place where you truly belong,” explains Miro. She has a sister who is also called Asha. She says, “Just knowing I had a sibling who is living in a different country with a different life but still is connected to me was beyond any feeling.”
Mori admits that she was indeed very nervous by sharing her story to the world. She thinks by getting her story out in the public she feels liberated. “Yes I was nervous, but not scared, as I wrote everything about my life-the good, bad and the ugly. I didn't want to hide anything; I wanted people to know the full story,” she concludes.