Jayaraman and his wife Suguna didn’t let distance stand in the way of becoming parents. The couple, based in Chennai, made the trip to Bangalore to adopt their son through Shishu Mandir. It took them three years, and after all the milestones made, Jayaraman says there’s no describing what that decision has meant for his family.
Jayaraman, who works with the Tamil Nadu government’s dairy development department, and Suguna decided together that they wanted to raise a child who didn’t have parents of his own. After registering through the national adoption platform, the couple was matched with a child at Shishu Mandir in Bangalore — a journey of several hundred kilometers they were glad to make. In the end, it only took about three trips from Chennai to complete the process.
“The Shishu Mandir people were very helpful with the child,” Jayaraman said. “They helped us well and took care of everything.” He singles out Salma Madam and Ramesh Sir by name for the gratitude he still feels toward the staff who guided the family through each step — the same staff members other adoptive parents who’ve gone through Shishu Mandir consistently point to for supporting them in the process. But Shishu Mandir has dozens of other employees who work tirelessly to support the children behind the scenes.
Jayaraman describes the first time he and Suguna held their son as a moment beyond words. “The moment we saw him, we were so happy,” he said. “We held him in our arms for a long time… you gave us a wonderful child.”
That happiness, he says, hasn’t faded three years in. “All three of us, including the child, are very happy,” he said. “It is only because of this adoption that we are doing very well, very happily.”
Jayaraman is candid about his parenting experiences. “It’s not like we know everything,” he said. But he and Suguna have been deliberate about the values they want to pass on to their child: good education, good moral development, and support.
Their son isn’t in school yet, but he’s already showing signs of what’s ahead. He can recite part of the alphabet, count to ten, and, in his father’s words, is “so bright… there are no words to describe him.” As for his adoption itself, the couple has decided that conversation can wait. “We haven’t told him anything about adoption yet,” Jayaraman said, “because he’s a small child.”
What’s clear from talking to Jayaraman is how attached the family has become. Their son, he says, “won’t be without us for even a second” — he falls asleep every night holding one parent or the other.
For Jayaraman, the story keeps circling back to Shishu Mandir. “Whatever we thought of, they did everything correctly and helped us with everything,” he said. “They did it wonderfully.”
It’s a sentiment that echoes across the families who’ve adopted through the institution: a process that could easily have felt like paperwork instead became, in Jayaraman’s words, the thing that changed his family’s life in a way “not even comparable” to anything else. Three trips from Chennai, one very bright little boy, and a family that says the wait was worth every mile.
