Peh-chaan (n.): Identity

Abstract

Last summer I came across a website called idealist.org and a forum titled “Issues You’re Passionate About” struck my attention. Here I found Pushpa Duncklee’s blog. Her site summarized her adoption story and journey from India to the United States in the 1960s. After reading the remarkable story of her life, I decided to meet her in person in Jacksonville, Florida, where she currently lives. My SIP details her story through a documentary film. The film takes the audience from Jacksonville to Oregon, as well as all the way to India. With the initial impression that her mother didn’t want or love her daughter, Pushpa first set out to find her biological family in the 90’s. At 30 years old she made her first trip back to India since she was adopted at 6. Upon reuniting, Pushpa found out that her mother never put her up for adoption; rather she was taken by another woman and sent to the United States without consent. In my film, Pushpa and I fly to India to reconnect with her mother and family once more. The documentary uncovers many truths about her story, but many of the pieces still can’t be put together…