Vinita Bhargava’s Adoption in India is a seminal work on family life experiences of children in adoptive families. With her rich experience as a Professor in Childhood and Developmental Studies and her extensive work at the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA), Bhargava is a stalwart in this field. The first four chapters of the book focus on theory and conceptual work on adoption in India; the next six on field experiences; chapter eleven, on adoption of older children, draws upon both field experiences as well as theoretical insights; and the final chapter raises significant concerns and presents the future of adoption practices in India.
From ancient Indian and Asian traditions, the process of adoption has become far more formal and organized in contemporary times. With changing family structures, a significant upward trend in the number of adoptions is visible. A notable shift occurred in the 1970s when people took recourse to inter-country adoption. The emphasis changed from ‘families for children’ to ‘children for families’ (p. 11). Bhargava also points towards continued high value placed on fertility and the resultant stigma attached to infertility. This has led to families relying on extended families for adoption in order to draw least attention to themselves. ‘Traditional notions regarding bloodlines, caste and class are well entrenched in the minds of people and are reflected in adoption practices in the country, more frequently in the less progressive States of India’ (p. 15).
The author then goes on to present the social realities within which the adoption process is practiced in India. A significant insight is that all children in institutions are not free for adoption. Children are sometimes left in institutions till the time that parents think that they will be able to stabilize and reunite with their children. Through counselling and sharing information about possible support and government schemes, parents may be encouraged by adoption agencies to keep their biological children. However, in most cases, parents are not provided counselling. Many agencies, in their own financial interest, are keen to send children for adoption, particularly when the demand is from outside India. An important concern raised by the author is that of the role of the institutions in counselling families post adoption. Parents’ support groups can also go a long way in addressing common concerns and addressing parenting issues.
Discussing the theoretical paradigms, chapter three presents a deeper understanding of adoptee families and life experiences of adoptee children. Data reveals that children who are adopted have a higher incidence of behavioural, emotional and learning difficulties. At the same time, the author points towards a dearth of exploratory studies on the impact of pre-natal experiences and abandonment-trauma informed perspective. There is also insufficient research on the genetic makeup of biological parents. A significant trend in the past two decades in adoption research has been in studying the processes in adoptive families, thus shifting focus from outcomes to experiences. To understand lived realities of adoptive families is thus important to foster family health and well-being.
Bhargava discusses family life in India, particularly in Hindu households, where the emphasis is on family lineage. The complexities of maintaining caste and class purity have led many to adopt children from within extended families, where biological parents are known. Children in institutions are judged for their unknown backgrounds on the basis of their facial features and skin colour. Bhargava also looks at representation of adoption in popular films and folk tales, and the need of adopted children to find their biological parents. The chapter also highlights the psychological and emotional detachment that the presence of adoption agencies has created in the adoption process, by withholding details of the biological parents. It raises questions on how this distance impacts young children undergoing the experience of separation.
Documenting research literature and analysing data trends from primary data sources, the author refers to family orientation and preferences in adoption, along with the attitudes of agencies. It is significant that adoption in India is not the decision of parents but of extended families and friends. Where parents are able to overcome the social stigma of infertility, fear of judgment and garner the support of parents and relatives, institutionalized children are still often the last choice in adoption.
Bhargava highlights key insights about parenting based on the data collected from adoptive families. While some trends may be culled out on the basis of gender, family structure, age at which the child is adopted, and the age of parents, the uniqueness of each family and each child must be respected. One of the key dilemmas for adoptive families is whether the child should be informed about his/her being an adopted child. It was found that children accepted their status as adopted much better during early childhood in comparison to middle and late childhood, when the real cognitive and social meaning of being adopted and having a different set of biological parents became comprehensible for them.
Bhargava explores the development of self-concept and identity among adopted children. The chapter presents a unique perspective by analysing autobiographies of children, giving space to their voice rather than looking at children from an adult lens. Children generally perceive themselves positively. Physical appearance emerged as a powerful indicator of self-worth. The chapter is a reminder that though adoption is a significant experience, it does not form the summum bonum of the children’s existence. Autobiographical narratives indicated that though children sometimes integrated adoption in their life stories, they focused on other aspects of life including academics, relationships and aspirations.
The chapter on case studies to study family interaction patterns looks at three, presenting different family contexts highlighting the differences in caregiving by adoptive parents. Some families emphasize openness about adoption, while others struggle with disclosure. The chapter brings to the fore the processes through which open communication and healthy relationships aid mitigating early experiences in Child Care Institutions. The subsequent chapter follows adoptees into adulthood. Probably the first of longitudinal research with adoptive families, the chapter highlights that most adoptees achieve emotional stability, become fully functioning adults, and form stable relationships. Children who struggled in rigid school systems found themselves in creative fields. Research on trauma and learning difficulties explains why some adoptees face academic challenges. Yet, the discussion in this chapter highlights the resilience and adaptability of adoptees. This discussion continues in chapter ten where adult narratives present their journeys of adjustment and the support systems they relied on. Therapy, supportive partners and the healing nature of time have helped adoptees reflect on their life stories.
Chapter eleven is significant in pointing to the under-researched area of adoption of older children. Backgrounds of trauma, poverty, or family disruption, and years in institutional care have led to many children facing challenges for several years. Lack of trauma-informed practice and the earlier mentioned need for continued counselling makes it difficult for parenting to adjust to attachment avoidance, trauma-driven behavioural difficulties and emotional outbursts. The chapter provides specific suggestions for implementation by families in dealing with these challenges.
The last chapter shifts focus to a sociological perspective in which the traditional notion of adoption is challenged. It acknowledges that the process and practice of adoption is deeply entangled with issues of class, caste, and gender inequalities. It also highlights the prejudices faced by single parents, disabled parents, and those on the LGBTQIA+ spectrum in the adoption system. Bhargava argues that adoption must remain child-centred, and not be seen as a means for adults to fulfil personal desires.
A significant insight that has emerged is that schools are neither sensitive nor open to the idea of educating children from adoptive families. The support system that a school should be able to provide children is missing. Together with the desire of parents to see the academic success of their children, parents find international schools ‘more liberal in their orientation and methods of evaluating the academic progress of a child’ (p. 125). Considering the stringent eligibility conditions of adoption and the social stigma surrounding adoption, adoptive parents often possess the cultural capital requisite for academic success of a child. Schools need to relook at their assumptions about children and the role that they are supposed to play in fostering development of children.
Replete with case stories, anecdotal evidence, theoretical foundations, and data from the field, this book is a valuable resource for teachers of childhood and family studies and for adoptive families. The book also guides counsellors in schools, child care institutions and those facilitating the adoption process in helping better psycho-social adjustment of adoptee children and their families.
Toolika Wadhwa is Associate Professor, Education, Shyama Prasad Mukherji College for Women, University of Delhi, Delhi.