By Teesta Bhola-Shah
When we interviewed Gina Iyer, I immediately noticed how full of energy she was. Adoption can be a serious topic, but it can be filled with funny moments too. Gina was adopted in the United States when she was four and a half and later moved to India with her mother after her parents’ divorce.
“They thought I was crazy as hell because I am,” she said, laughing, when I asked what her childhood friends thought about her adoption. “They thought I was just a clown, which I am.” Although Gina’s story could have been emotional or heavy, she spoke about it with humor and joy.
One of her funniest stories is about her two kids, Tara and Raghav. Tara is adopted, while Raghav is not. “Tara bullied Raghav like any sibling relationship,” Gina said, shaking her head affectionately. “And one day Raghav came to me, big tears in his eyes, and said, ‘I’m just a tummy baby. I want to be a heart baby. I’m so ordinary. Why can’t I be a heart baby?’”
She laughed remembering it. “Tara was absolutely thrilled that she had managed to set this in Raghav’s head. He was so upset, saying, ‘I’m just an ordinary tummy baby like everybody else!’ And I told him, yes, but you’re also very special. He said, ‘Not like Tara.’”
For Gina, that story sums up how her family views adoption. It’s not something secret or uncomfortable. “Adoption is a word that’s thrown around very easily in our house,” she said. “It’s accepted. It’s fine. It’s never been something hidden or strange.”
Her ability to laugh through everything is what makes her story so unique. Even when talking about the long and complicated adoption process in India, she finds a way to make people smile. “I tell my friends here, the process is long, but it’s worth it,” she said. “I say, think of yourself as an elephant that’s pregnant for two years, because that’s how long it’s going to take, maybe a little more. But in the end, it’s absolutely worth it.”
Gina says her humor is one of the biggest parts of who she is. “People really know me now that, oh my God, she’s a bloody joker,” she said, laughing again. And her next dream isn’t a joke either. Gina said, “I wish to try my hand at stand-up because I’m ready for it. It’s one of my last wishes. I just want to do stand-up. And I will, very soon.”
Talking to her made me realize that not every adoption story has to be emotional or serious. Some can be full of laughter and love and the kind of stories that make you smile days later. Gina’s story is one of those. In a world where adoption is often seen as something sad or complicated, Gina Iyer’s story shows the other side.
“I’m just one of those people who makes friends wherever I go,” she told me. “And I think it’s because I laugh a lot.”
