Jamil Meusen was adopted from a local orphanage by Dutch parents 40 years ago. Today, a successful upright police officer, he has returned with his family to where it all began
It’s been 42 years since Jamil was remanded in the Dongri Children’s Home.
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Today, ironically, he is an upright high-ranking police officer in Netherlands who has also served in the army.
Jamil Meusen — with his children, Isar, Jay, Ravi, Milan and wife Kelly — interacts with senior police inspector Nitin Bangale at the Dongri Police Station. Pic/Satej Shinde
Where did it all turn around?
For Jamil Meusen, it was in 1974 after his remand home stint that he was taken in by a French priest from the St Catherine’s Homes and Orphanages.
Two years later, he was adopted by a Dutch couple and whisked away for a charmed life far away from the hustle bustle of his first home, Mumbai.
Now, the Dutch national, known as Jamil Meusen (46), has come home with his family — a wife and four sons — to reconnect with his original hometown.
His Dutch life
Jamil, who currently lives in Breda, Netherlands, is the chief superintendent of the Netherlands National Police. Even as he was growing up, he was aware of his Mumbai connection.
“I was adopted by Mr and Mrs Meusen who did not have any children. They brought me up the same way all great parents do,” Jamil told mid-day.
After he completed his elementary school and pre-University education, he joined the military academy. He went on to serve 18 years in the military, and when that chapter closed in 2010, he joined the Netherlands National Police.
Jamil even served in the peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan and Bosnia (twice).
Not just professionally, Jamil also thrived in his personal life. In 2000, he married Kelly Meusen, a doctor, who teaches at a university and has four sons with her.
The India connect
“Whenever I tried to recall the city I was born in, I saw double-decker buses. There were little faded memories of my friends back then. I also spoke the local language, but I can’t now,” Jamil said.
He added, “I hardly remember anything about my childhood here as I was very young. That part of my history is a blank. I had also asked the orphanage people, but they couldn’t recall much either.”
In years since, some of Jamil’s friends from Dongri were also adopted by couples from across the globe. “Few of them are in Europe and I still meet them,” Jamil said.
This is the third time Jamil has visited India, but this trip is special as this time, he also managed to visit the Dongri Children’s Home. Earlier, he faced permission hassles but with the help of additional commissioner of police,
Ravindra Shisve, he cleared all the hurdles.
The homecoming
Expressing his reason to revisit the home, Jamil said, “It was special for me to relive the early memories. My kids are excited too, as they are in the city their father belongs to. After all, they also have Indian blood in their veins.”
When he was at St Catherine’s, Jamil remembers being taken care of by two sisters. “I met one of them and she was very happy to see me with my family. Another sister lives in Bandra. She is like my second mother. The time spent with them during my childhood holds special value in my life.”
Interestingly, two years after adopting Jamil, his parents, who are now in their early 80s, also adopted a girl — Shanta. She is also married now and lives in Netherlands.
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