Mandira Bedi recalls the struggle of adopting daughter Tara: ‘For a girl who had never sat in a car before, she took a trip on a private jet’

After having her first child, Mandira Bedi wanted to adopt another, and after years of paperwork, she and her late husband, filmmaker Raj Kaushal, adopted their daughter, Tara Bedi Kaushal. In a recent interaction, Mandira shared her struggle with the adoption process and how they flew Tara home in a private jet during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. Speaking to Humans of Bombay, Mandira said, “I wanted to have a second child and adopt. When my son Veer was about six, I put in the papers for adoption. It’s a long process, and I don’t know why it’s not easier. I mean, I understand the reasons, but when it’s clear that this is a good family, it should be simpler. It took a while—Veer turned nine, the pandemic hit, and I told Raj, ‘It still hasn’t happened. Why?’ We had gotten caught up and didn’t follow up much. So, I thought, it’s now or never, and we pushed forward.” Mandira Bedi recalled how they received Tara’s photo via email and instantly felt she was the one. Raj Kaushal traveled to Jabalpur alone to complete the formalities while Mandira stayed back with Veer due to the pandemic. After Raj completed the paperwork, Mandira and Veer flew from Mumbai to Jabalpur in a private jet to bring Tara home. Mandira met Tara at the airport and flew her back to Mumbai. Mandira said, “This is maktoob. for a girl who had never sat in a car before, she took a trip on a private jet. It was naseeb, kismat. We wouldn’t have used a private jet, but it was too dangerous to fly commercially because Covid was at its peak. It was the most practical solution at the time.” Mandira Bedi also explained how Veer, who wanted a sister at age six, wasn’t as keen at age nine, which made her doubt her decision. “I was very overwhelmed because a little human being was coming into our life and everything would change. Veer was crying, and I was crying. When we reached the airport, this little girl with a plastic hat came with Raj. She was so small. It took time for her to settle into the family, and for Veer to start liking her.” Mandira shared that Veer has now fully accepted Tara, and the two siblings love each other dearly.