Swiss woman searches for her biological mother in Mumbai

Vidhya Philippon visits Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity located in the Vile Parle area where her mother left her

Swiss woman searches for her biological mother in Mumbai

Mumbai: Vidhya Philippon, a Swiss woman, has been searching for her biological mother in Mumbai for the past decade. The only clue she has is the mother’s surname and address, which is no longer in existence.

Philippon was born on February 8, 1996 and her mother left her at the Missionaries of Charity. From there, she was adopted in 1997 by a Swiss couple and subsequently taken to Switzerland.

Philippon has now come to India to find her roots in Rawal Pada, Dahisar, and Mumbai. Philippon visited Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity located in the Vile Parle area where her mother left her.

She also visited the area of Dahisar, where her mother used to stay but the address is no longer in existence. But Philippon hopes she will find her biological mother one day.

Advocate Anjali Pawar, Director of Adoptee Rights Council, who is assisting Philippon to find her mother, said, “We are here to assist Vidhya Philippon, who came from Switzerland, to find her biological mother. She was born on February 8, 1996, and then her mother left her to the missionary charity.”

“Missionary charity has helped us with the search and they gave some information about her mother; the address is from the Dahisar area but it is difficult as it’s a fast-moving city and people keep relocating to the area,” she added.

Appealing to people to find Philippon’s mother, Anjali said, “One contact was given by one social worker, who is also helping us find her mother. I cannot disclose much information about her mother but the family has the surname ‘Kambli’. I am requesting people who ever stayed in the Dahisar area at that time to help us find out her biological mother.”

Philippon told media, “Anjali is helping me find my mother. My mother was 20 when she gave me birth, and for 10 years I have been searching for her. I came to India with my husband. My family surname is Kambli. I wanted people in Mumbai to help me find my mother and give me information about her.”