Parth Shastri / Feb 19, 2025, 00:14 IST
Ahmedabad: The fatherhood aspirations of Amol Kulkarni (name changed), a 34-year-old single man from Mumbai, were realised Sunday when he adopted Sarthak (name changed), a 3-year-old orphan in Shishu Gruh here, as his son.
Sarthak's adoption by a single man is the first such instance in the city, experts said. "The first thing we did together as father and son was to shop for clothes and enjoy some ice-cream," said an elated Kulkarni. "It still feels like I'm dreaming, it may take some time before the feeling of being a father sinks in."
Amol says he was sceptical of relationships but always yearned to be a father. He endured a nearly three-year long process to go through the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) repository, match their stringent criteria and find a child suitable for adoption. "I could be a cynic but growing up I have seen several relationships not working out and children bearing the brunt of the differences. Somewhere it was this fear that it is not meant for me. But marriage and parenthood are not the same thing," he said. "When I gained confidence that I can be a responsible parent and informed my parents about my decision to adopt a child, I applied for the same in 2022."
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