Abandoned as an infant, now the Dutch mayor, returns to find his mother: ‘Every Karna has the right to meet his Kunti’

Falgun Binnendijk, the mayor of Heemstede in the Netherlands, sets out on a journey to find his biological mother. Born in Nagpur on February 10, 1985, Phalgun was abandoned at a city shelter within three days of his birth and adopted by a Dutch couple a month later.

According to media reports, his mother (21) was unmarried and had no support. Raised in the Netherlands, Falgun lived a full life, eventually becoming mayor of Heemstede in 2024. However, the question of their biological roots remained.

A nurse from Nagpur’s Matri Seva Sangh named him after the Hindu calendar month of his birth. Falgun has long since made peace with his adopted child. But like Karna in the Mahabharata, Phagun’s thoughts will not let him rest until he meets his ‘Kunti’.

The search for Falgun began in 2017 and he has made three trips to Nagpur so far. During her last visit in December 2025, there was a significant breakthrough in the search for Falgun when a team led by senior officer Vinod Jadhav discovered a retired nurse of the Matri Seva Sangh (MSS). The retired nurse was the same woman who gave it its name.

Speaking to TOI, Phalgun said, “It was overwhelming for me to hear her recall everything. I had recently met the woman who gave me my identity.”

Seven years after beginning efforts to identify his biological mother, he contacted Matri Seva Sangh during his last visit to Nagpur in August 2024, with the hope of locating her birth records.

While local authorities recovered documents confirming his mother’s name, they did not include an address. He said, “At that time, I thought maybe this was it. Everything in my life was complete except this unfinished work.”

Despite facing setbacks, Phagun remains determined. His wife and four children have been a constant source of support, encouraging him to continue his explorations.

He hoped to reunite with his mother and share his life’s journey with her, saying, “Every Karna deserves to meet his Kunti and he should have the right to do so.”

The 40-year-old man said, “I believe she may be living with guilt, thinking she has done something unforgivable. I just want to meet her once and tell her that I have a beautiful life and that her child has grown up with love.”

The mayor of Heemstede has given his four children a mix of Indian and Dutch names. According to reports, one of their daughters has been named after her biological mother.

Falgun intends to return to Nagpur again in 2027 to continue the search.