It’s homecoming for ‘born again’ Dane

Natasha Alofti, 15, visits her ‘first home’ in Malad from where she was adopted


Natasha Alofti, 15, celebrates two birthdays every year — one on the day she was born and the other on what she calls her “homecoming day”.

November 18 — the day the Aloftis officially adopted Natasha, then a seven-month-old baby, and took her to their home in Faroe Islands — was extra special for the teenager this year. “I spent my home-coming day at Bal Vikas Sanstha in Malad, the children’s home from where I was adopted,” she says, struggling with her English.

Raised in Faroe Islands - a group of 18 islands in faraway Denmark - Natasha speaks Faroese, Swedish, and Danish more fluently than English. “I’m trying to learn Hindi but it’s difficult,” she says.

Her family moved to Mumbai in August, when her father, a rig manager with a multinational company, was transferred to the city. “The move has been tough, but it gave her the chance to visit her roots,” says Leila Alofti, Natasha’s mother, who is a physiotherapist.

Natasha visits Bal Vikas Sanstha once every two weeks and spends time with the children. “I feel lucky. I know that I have been in the same situation as these kids. But the fact that I found such nice parents makes me believe that these children will, too,” she says.

The teenager, who joined an international school in the city in September, has a hectic schedule now. She represented the school in soccer in a tournament for students of international schools in Dhaka last week.

Next week, she is off to Doha to participate in an international choir-singing competition for which she was selected when she was in Denmark. “She is the only student selected from Denmark,” says Leila. “She is a very talented flautist, too.”

Natasha has always known that the Aloftis had adopted her. “It was obvious considering most people in the Faroe Islands, including my parents, are light-skinned,” explains Natasha, adding that her parents talked about it at home right since the time she was three.

“It was very exciting when we took Natasha to Faroe Islands. Her gorgeous dark skin attracted quite a lot of attention from friends, relatives and even people on the streets,” recalls Leila.

Five years later the couple, who always wanted more than two children, adopted 10-month-old Emma from Bal Vikas Sanstha. “They are two of a kind, and have something in common,” says Leila.