An illustration from the book
| Photo Credit: Apoorva Lakshmi
Sujatha Balakrishnan recalls how her daughter, Sai, first told her that she wanted to adopt a child over 32 years ago. “When she was just 15 , over a conversation where we were talking about different types of families, she told me that she wanted to mother a child through adoption,” says the Bengaluru-based theatre practitioner.At that point in time, however, she did not think much of it, “since she was still very young, and I thought it was just a fleeting thought,” she says. But her daughter remained committed to this idea, “she was very clear about it,” she recalls.And indeed, many years later, Sai went ahead and did exactly that, adopting a little girl, Sufi, in 2020, a story that has inspired Sujatha’s debut picture book, We Are Family (Parth Prakashan). The book, illustrated by Apoorva Lakshmi, examines the theme of adoption in a heartwarming, engaging manner. It tells the story of little Sufi, who lives with her mother, grandparents, and kitten, Bekku, exploring how blood is not the only thing we need to create a family.Also read:Even a city like Bengaluru can hold wildlife“It comes from my own experience of introducing Sufi to different forms of family, when she turned three. I thought it was important to make space for conversations about diverse families and adoption,” she says, adding that July 29, the day on which the book will be formally launched, is the same day Sufi came home six years ago. “I thought this book would be such a wonderful gift to give my granddaughter,” believes Sujatha.
