Court!

We got up early so that we would be ready to go on time, and, of course, the driver didn't show up. I finally called Ganesh, and he said that the driver thought we would call around 10 if we wanted him. This cleared up, he appeared within a few minutes and got us to court on time. So what did we do? Yes! We waited!

The court building is a one story building with an arched walkway along the length of it. The courtyard in front was packed with motorcycles. There were all kinds of people coming and going. The lawyers (advocates, in local parlance) all wear robes like Rumpole, but with attached vests with large buttons and white lappet collars. The women put them over their saris or salwar, which presents a rather exotic appearance. We found the family court (it had a painted sign over the door that said "Family Court"). On the wall outside were several handwritten sheets of paper with the day's agenda. We were number 2, so we sat down on the benches outside and waited. Luckily, we've gotten good at this. Meri and I had e-readers, and LiJun played Angry Birds on my phone.

Eventually, the lady from DWDCW showed up, along with Vindya and one of the caretakers from Sisuvihar. Vindya had the bracelets we had given her and another pretty dress. We played with her while we waited. (BTW, for what it's worth, Meri agrees with me. Vindya is sweet, eager to please, and not functioning at a 7yo level. She reminded both of us of about 2-3.)

Eventually, the bailiff called everyone into the courtroom. The Lady from DWDCW (hitherto Mrs. A2) took Vindya and sat in the only empty seat in the front row. The rest of us crowded into the back and waited. However, Vindya started crying after a few minutes, and Mrs. A2 brought her back to sit by the caretaker. The first case was another adoption, an Indian couple adopting a baby girl who was dressed to the nines, with all kinds of stuff in her hair. This took a while, and we watched with interest.

The courtroom was small, with a portrait of Mahatma Gandhi festooned with flowers at the front. The judge was behind a high desk at the front which went the width of the room. There was a curved table in front of that where the advocates sat. Finally, there were rows of benches, where we sat to watch. A bailiff at the front made various announcements in a loud voice, and another bailiff at the door repeated everything out into the hallway in an equally loud voice. The room is very high, with about half a dozen fans. The side wall was floor to ceiling in what I took to be red and white boulders, but when I was called up, I saw that they were bundles of paper, about the size of both my arms in a circle, tied into either red or white cloth.

Then they called me, and Mrs. A2 gestured that I should come forward and stand behind her. She sat at a small table, and answered some questions. One of the advocates stood up and answered questions as well. The judge asked where is the child, and Vindya was called forward. She stood on a small stand in front of the judge, who asked her questions. She told them her name, and what school she went to, and wrote out the alphabet for the judge. Then there was an exchange in Telegu which was later translated for me. She flatly denied knowing me, she said she didn't know anything about going anywhere other than the sisuvihar, and said that she didn't want to go anywhere but home. Then she started crying again. The woman next to Meri leaned over and asked if we were going to take her right away. She was concerned about how sad Vindya was, and suggested that we wait a couple of weeks, to give her a chance to adjust. Vindya went back to her seat, still crying, and I was called.

I was sworn in, and assured the judge that I would take care of Vindya, educate her, take her to the doctor, and that I would abide by any conditions set by the court. More talk in Telugu, and LiJun ("the Chinese child") was called. She came and stood on the little stand, and the judge asked her if she was prepared to accept Vindya as her sister. "What?" Judge to me, "Does she speak English?" Mrs. A2 and the advocate, "It's the accent!" Me to LiJun, "Are you prepared to accept Vindya as your sister?" LiJun, "Yes." Judge to LiJun, "Can you point at your sister?" I repeated this, and LiJun pointed at Vindya, and was dismissed.

I was told to step down, and the judge went through my entire dossier, dictating each item to a woman who typed it into a computer. As they were doing this, the advocate went through her copy, marking each item, "Exibit A-1" etc. Periodically the judge would have a question, and someone would answer. For purposes of the court, by the way, I am "The Second Petitioner."

After a lot of this, we were all dismissed and left the courtroom. Mrs. A2 told me that we needed to wait for the paperwork, so we waited. LiJun and Vindya played together really nicely, and Vindya cheered up a lot. I asked Mrs. A2 a lot of questions: Did she know that she was leaving the orphanage? Yes, they told her. Did she know she was leaving with me? Yes, they told her. Could we take her back to the hotel? No, the director, who needs to sign such things, is in Delhi. Could we take her with us for the day and then bring her back to the sisuvihar? Absolutely not. We cannot have her with us at all until the documents are signed. We should come to the sisuvihar after 4pm. When would I find out if I could take her tomorrow? They would call me. When would I find out when the written order would be issued? They will call me. I told her that I would go immediately and get an SIM card, and let them know the number. She was profoundly uninterested, and told me they would call the hotel and leave a message.

Then the advocate came up, and she and Mrs. A2 had a long conversation in Telugu. At the end of it, Mrs. A2 turned to me and said that I needed to pay the court fees, about 3500 rupees. I reminded her that I had sent the fees, but they had been returned because they didn't have the certificate to accept foreign payments yet. She said that she knew about that, but didn't know if the court fees were included in this payment. I suggested that we find out. The advocate then informed me that all adoptive parents must pay these fees. She works for the adoption office, and not for me, so I must pay a second advocate, and that is what the fees are for. I told her that I would check, and if I hadn't already paid them, I would, but I wanted to make sure that I didn't pay them twice. She walked off, and that was the entire interaction that I had with the advocate.

After whatever papers were issued (I didn't get copies, but I was told, very firmly, that I wasn't supposed to get copies), we left. As I had promised, we went straight to get a SIM card. For the record, to get a SIM card, you need an ID, a passport photo, and a letter on your hotel's letterhead stating that you are checked in and giving the dates of your stay. The big stores wouldn't sell to me, but a smaller one operating between a shoe stand and an open air motorcycle repair shop decided that since there was a SIM card (albeit expired) in my phone, they could sell me another one. So now, I have a working mobile!

We went to a department store and got Vindya an outfit (I had checked the size of her dress). We also picked up a really cute stuffed elephant. Then we had lunch, visited a local attraction (a statue of Buddha on an island in a manmade lake, visible by stopping in 8 lane traffic and standing on the sidewalk that is also used as a motorcycle lane - I swear everyone in this country has a death wish), stopped at a grocery store to get bottled water and candy, and then went back to see Vindya.

She had just gotten up from a nap, and had a long, difficult day. She was visibly drained. We played with her a little, but she kept shutting down, so we sent her back with her friends (who were standing around, openly staring). Mrs. A2 happened to come to the building, so I gave her my new mobile number. Now, we wait. (Luckily, we're getting good at that.)

And now, we're back in the hotel room, relaxing. Meri and LiJun are watching "Everybody Loves Raymond," and I'm typing. Let me know if you have any burning questions about India, I'll be happy to answer.