Gurmeet Choudhary on adoption: People keep talking about women empower

Gurmeet Choudhary on adoption: People keep talking about women empowerment; I have done it

Gurmeet Choudhary says his life has changed after adopting Pooja and Lata

Telly town's popular couple Gurmeet Choudhary and Debina Bonnerjee hit headlines a few days ago for adopting two girls -Pooja (six-years old) and Lata (nine-years-old), from Gurmeet's hometown in Bihar - Jarampur. The couple first met the girls three years ago in 2014, when they had been to their hometown to attend a family wedding. It was then that they came to know from his mother that the girls work as domestic helpers to earn their living. Gurmeet discussed the matter with Debina and the couple made a joint decision to adopt them this year.

Speaking about it in a recent interview with Times of India, he said, "I am a big fan of Superman; he has the power to do nice things for human beings. We can also do the same using our power as a celebrity. Debina and I were thinking about adoption since a long time. It finally happened last year after we discussed it with our parents. We have planned everything for them very carefully. I think it's just a start because people keep talking about women empowerment, but nobody takes any steps. I think I have done the right thing and hope people will follow it."

On being asked when do they plan to bring them to Mumbai, he said, "That will need planning as such decisions can't be taken overnight. The girls come from a rural background, so bringing them here immediately will be a cultural shock for them. We are focussing on their studies right now. We will do everything according to their comfort. We have not set a specific time frame because that will be put pressure on them. Similarly, there is no pressure on them to take my surname either. They call us Gurmeet and Debina, so we are friends. In today's time, the relationship between parents and kids should be that of friends. So, I don't mind them addressing me by my name. Debina and I talk to them every day. My life has changed after adopting them. I have the responsibility of looking after them."

In an earlier interview Gurmeet had revealed that his daughters are being shifted to Patna, where there will be enrolled in a school. He plans to bring them to Mumbai after one academic year i.e. by 2018. By then his brother's family will take care of the girls. The couple plans to visit them during summer-vacation. He says that if they will have their own kids in future, they will be siblings to Pooja and Lata and all Choudharys' will happily live together under one roof like one big happy family.