A blind Indian boy completes his journey from a Calcutta orphanage to a home in Gray
By Paul Livingstone
News Assistant
GRAY - Eight-year-old Sudeep Stauble, a blind orphan rescued from the streets of Calcutta, spent the first full day with his new family Monday, getting acquainted with snow and the family dog. Sudeep's 40-hour journey had ended in style the night before - with a limousine ride from Boston's Logan International Airport.
"Yes, we used a limousine. Actually, we borrowed it from a friend of ours," said Barbara Stauble, a Gray resident and mother of six whose newly adopted son arrived in time for the holidays. "The 10 of us piled in there."
Sudeep, his arduous journey already forgotten, was more interested in his new home at Gray Park, not far from the center of town.
"The snow is fun, but it's very wet," he said, wrinkling his nose in disapproval as the family dog licked his face. "Jeter's nose is wet, too."
Sudeep navigated the house by sound as he learned the voices of his new siblings. He met people by hugging them and taking their hand. He picked out his new favorite things - winding the snow globe music box, snapping plastic packing bubbles and playing the piano.
Kate Stauble, Barbara's oldest daughter, met the outgoing youngster at the Calcutta orphanage while volunteering with Mother Theresa's Missionaries of Charity.
During her four-month stay, she was drawn to Sudeep's gregarious way. On returning home, she told her family about the experience. The decision to adopt came quickly, she says.
It kind of feels surreal," said Kate, a nursing student at the University of Southern Maine. "I've just never seen him in this environment before."
So the Staubles, Barbara and Ray and their six children - Kate, Maria, Allie, Susie, Jill and Sam - will spend two weeks of holiday vacation getting to know their new brother.
Sudeep had little trouble adjusting after the long flight. Four bowls of chicken soup and a night's sleep in a real bed gave Sudeep the energy to spend his first day in Maine at the keys of the piano, learning to make snowballs and meeting Jeter the dog.
Sam, Susie and Sudeep ----------------- Kate, Sudeep and Josh
He's never played a real piano," said Barbara. "All he had there was a little broken-down thing called a harmonium that he had to pump up to use." This is probably the most incredible day of my life," said Kate as Sudeep played "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star."
Shortly after graduating from Gray-New Gloucester High School, Kate send a letter to her friends and family announcing her intention to volunteer with the Missionaries of Charity in India. "I was terrified when I first got there, but that lasted just a day," she said.
Her work took her to a kalighat, or "a place of dying." She comforted the sick and starving, and helped give them dignity as they met death. And she helped children at the orphanage where she met Sudeep.
She had raised her own money for the trip, but the family needed help bringing the boy back. They set up a fund for Sudeep and collected money where they could.
Kate's boyfriend, Josh Tucker, has been a volunteer with Missionaries of Charity for the past four years. He helped with the adoption and accompanied Sudeep on the journey to Maine.
Dealing with Indian bureaucracy is difficult, said Barbara: "They say no to everything."
After getting a visa and several immunizations, Tucker was told one of the shots couldn't be obtained in time for the flight. So he led Sudeep throughout Calcutta, searching for a back-street pharmacy with the right shot.
"We made some arrangements with the doctor," said Tucker. The arrangement, essentially a bribe, allowed Sudeep to make his flight.
Sudeep is not alone in Maine. A friend at the orphanage, Mukesh, has been adopted by a Windham family. Mukesh has spina bifida and is paralyzed from the waist down.
Sudeep wants to go to school to study, and will probably attend part time to start, said Barbara. He is a fan of Broadway tunes and "The Sound of Music" - one of the few movies he was able to watch in Calcutta. He has learned to use Braille, but his reading shills are still limited.
"He refuses to speak Bengali," said Barbara. "From now on he only wants to speak English."
Sudeep will be missed in Calcutta.
"Those children depend on him," said Barbara. "He was one of the few who was mentally OK, and he was very popular …. The Sisters (of Mercy) are crying already from missing him."
From the Stauble's
We adopted Sudeep when he was eight years old. He was in excellent health, although he has been totally blind since birth. He was skinny and still is very thin weighing only forty-five pounds and he is now ten years old.
The missionaries of charity ran this orphanage for physically and mentally handicapped boys and girls. There were approximately sixty children there. The orphanage and children were well cared for, clean, and happy.
My daughter traveled to India when she graduated from high school. She volunteered at the orphanage and the home for the dying in Calcutta for four months. She met Sudeep at that time. When she returned home she asked if we would consider adopting one of these special needs children. She was most taken with Sudeep. He had an incredible personality and seemed to fit best with our family. She also met her future husband on this trip. He had been working for a NGO called "The World Made Flesh", an American based organization with missions all over the world. It was Josh, my son-in-law, who transported Sudeep for us.
Sudeep is a very curious child. He played with and broke three sets of headphones on the plane. Because of his blindness he tends to tap rhythms on things too. He decided to tap on the poor person's seat in front of him the whole way home. Josh had to keep apologizing for him. Josh also had only one out-fit for Sudeep. When Sudeep "peed" his pants, Josh had to rinse them out in the airport bathroom and dry them with the hand dryer.
We were all so happy when Sudeep walked toward us. He was so much smaller than I had anticipated. He was so incredibly tired, but kept saying he wanted to go to school and study. He also wanted Daddy to take him out to play in the snow. He was very happy to meet all his new siblings and he was especially happy to see Kate, our daughter who met him in India and started the whole proceedings. We all cried, laughed, hugged and kissed.
Sudeep has never looked back. He is definitely one of us. There were no difficult periods of adjustment for any of us. I think it took him awhile to understand how a family works and everyone's role in a family since he had no experience before.
Sudeep is loved by everyone he meets. He has a special charm that wins everyone over. He remembers everyone he meets. School is going well. He has mastered the use of Braille and loves music, acting, dancing and stories.
We had never thought about adopting children as we had so
many of our own. But when our daughter, Kate, suggested it, my husband and I
decided to proceed without hesitation. When we found out the cost, I was overwhelmed,
but decided we had to go forward no matter what. It was because of your organization,
A Child Waits Foundation that the adoption
expenses stopped being a concern and made everything fall into place. I thank
you again for your generosity.
Sudeep with his siblings
Susie, Kate, Sam, Maria, Jill and Ali