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New Delhi: On February 10, 1985, Falgun Binnendijk was born to a 21-year-old unmarried mother in Nagpur and abandoned when he was just three days old. Some weeks later, a Dutch couple visiting Mumbai adopted the baby. He was taken care of by them and got an affluent upbringing in the Netherlands.

Falgun is now the Mayor of Heemstede in the Netherlands. Four decades later, he returned to his birth city for the third time, hoping to trace his mother, who had left him at a city shelter Matru Sewa Sangh (MSS) on Ambazari Road, The Times of India reported. A nurse at the shelter named him after the month of his birth — February, or Falgun, the last month of the Hindu calendar.

“Every Karna deserves and must have the right to meet his Kunti,” Falgun said. (Photo Credit: LinkedIn)

How he traced the nurse who gave him his name

Falgun made three trips to Nagpur in 2025, the last one being in December. He reportedly said adoption was never hidden from him. He first visiting India in 2006, and immediately drawn to its culture — which seemed familiar to him. During his last trip in December last year, with official help, he succeeded in tracing the nurse at MSS, who had now retired. In August 2024 when he was visiting Nagpur, Falgun had got in touch with MSS in the hope to trace his birth records.

Municipal commissioner Abhijeet Chaudhari and district collector Vipin Itankar gave him access to older records and helped him coordinate with other departments. Despite their efforts, they could retrieve only limited documents. The documents proved that his mother was not married. It revealed her name and his date of birth. Last year, the officials traced the nurse, who now works in an NGO. They visited her residence and Falgun realised she was the one who gave him his name.

Falgun married a Dutch woman and the couple has four kids. His wife has been pushing him to search for his Indian roots all these years. After reading the Mahabharata, the characters of Karna and Kunti drew his curiosity. According to legend, Kunti gives birth to Karna and leaves him inside a box floating in the river. “Every Karna deserves and must have the right to meet his Kunti,” Falgun told TOI.

When asked how he envisons a possible meeting with his mother after four decades, Falgun reportedly said, “I believe she may be living in guilt, thinking she had done something unpardonable. I just want to meet her once and tell her that I am okay, I have a beautiful life, and that her child grew up loved.” The reunion apparently would be more emotional than complete.

In December, he came with his family. Falgun has named his daughter after his biological mother. Falgun intends to come back to Nagpur next year.