WHEN Jacob says his daily prayers, he ends it by thanking god for all the precious people in his life: Among them are his "mama and dada, sister Riley, his papa [maternal grandfather] in heaven, and his 'other' mama and dada," whom he has no memory of, but has heard good things about.

He knows he once had another name, and that his adoptive parents, Sidney Cardoso and Jane D'Souza, first laid eyes on him at a children's home in Ranchi, Jharkhand. His favourite airline is IndiGo, because that's how he found his way to his new home in Goa and the large family of doting grandparents, loving aunties, uncles and cousins. The three-year-old has a twinkle in his eye, each time he regales family with his homecoming story. Cardoso and D'Souza wouldn't have wanted it any other way. It's little Jacob's story to share.

The Goa-based couple, who turn 35 later this year, adopted Jacob in 2017. "Adoption was never a conscious decision, but it's not like I hadn't thought about it either. Three of my cousins are adopted, too. When I met Sidney, the conversation came up just once in passing," says the freelance photographer.