THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Emotional scenes were witnessed at the Kerala State Council for Child Welfare (KSCCW) headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday when former inmate ‘Maya’, who is now Carolina Osberg, visited her former ‘home’ after three decades.
Maya, who was adopted from the council by a Swedish couple in 1991, was accompanied by her husband Patrick, a government technician. Ignoring their age-related ailments, former caretakers at the council Shanthamma, Jayakumari and Girija Devi attended the homecoming of Carolina, now 35. Teary-eyed, they hugged their ‘Maya’ and shared fond memories of the time when she was a toddler. Carolina too could not control her tears.
‘Maya’ was adopted by Olef Johnson, a government technician in Sweden and Christina Osberg. At the time, most of the adoptions from the council were by Swedish couples. Carolina did visit Thiruvananthpuram briefly as a five-year-old in 1994. She had visited the council and nearby Ponmudi before returning to Sweden.
It was coincidental that Carolina visited the council when a state-level camp for around 100 staff, including ayahs, was being conducted. The emotional reunion moistened the eyes of all those present.