Shveta Vashist Gaur

For each other
She has defied the rules of society when it comes to family unit. A single working mother, who is bringing up a six-year-old along with her mother- Shraddha Oza believes that parenthood has nothing to do with the biological relations. It is all the perceptions of society and the conditioning of our minds that happens from the time we are born. Here is a woman who had the urge to become a mother, even if she never felt the need of man in her life.
"I have always been close to kids and just loved to be with them. It started with neighbour's kids then kids in family and of my friends. While graduating I felt a strong instinct to adopt a baby and had always spoken about it. Later, after about five years of working as a lecturer at Bharati Vidyapeeth's College of Engineering, I got associated with a youth organisation and was involved with slum children's activities," she says.
As she started visiting adoption homes and child care centres every Sunday, Oza got extensively involved with these organisations. "During these days I got more and more convinced to adopt a baby. Also somehow I never agreed with the idea of arranged marriages and did not meet anyone with whom I felt a strong sense of connection. Though I never felt the need of a man and urge to go out of the way looking for one, I think I always wanted to be a mother more than a wife. I applied for adoption and within a year Shivani was home," she reminisces.
Today her six-year-old daughter proudly announces the fact to her classmates, "My mother is not married and she brought me home from Streevatsya as she liked me a lot." Oza asserts that it is very essential to have the support of the family for the child to get love and affection from as many people as possible.
"Initially I faced a lot of hurdles specially when one of the schools was not ready to accept the application form for my daughter's admission, without the name of her father," says Oza. But gradually both parents and the society accepted the little girl who shares a wonderful relationship with her mother and grandparents.
"Being a mother is the most beautiful feeling and she has provided me an anchor and filled my life with such wonderful moments. I had in fact named her before I met her. I was actually looking for Shivani and I found her," she beams.

Rutuja Wakankar