35-Year-Old Rescued in Mumbai as a Child Searches for His Parents

Dr. Aditya Choregaonkar, 35, had another name in another life. He was called 'Sunny' then, but he remembers little else about that time. "There was a forest near my home," says Choregaonkar.

- Manish Kumar Pathak

MUMBAI: Dr. Aditya Choregaonkar, 35, had another name in another life. He was called 'Sunny' then, but he remembers little else about that time. "There was a forest near my home," says Choregaonkar. Tacking a third memory to the other two, he recalls, "I spent two days at a policeman's house."

If his lines appear rehearsed, it's because Choregaonkar has been going over them for the last three decades, in the hope that they will shake loose a few more clues. A grants manager with a Bengaluru-based non-profit that works to enhance primary education in rural government schools, Choregaonkar was only four when he was rescued from the streets of Mumbai by a policeman, in 1994.

He has been trying to trace his parents for several years and stepped up his efforts recently, when two police inspectors—Sharmila Sahastrabudde in Mumbai and Seema Parihar in Nashik—joined his quest. They are using the power of social media to help Choregaonkar unlock his past and access paperwork that would otherwise have been out of his reach.

Choregaonkar has a good life but says he needs to fill this all-consuming void to feel complete. "I feel driven to trace my family and relatives so that I can get a sense of closure. I feel a deep need to belong that longs to be fulfilled."