Tejas Pednekar is an upcoming star in the field of dance and also a dance teacher. He pursues his passion for dance with much support from his parents. He runs a youtube channel that has the name Tejas Pednekar.
Hello Tejas!
Tejas: Hello! Thank you so much for considering me for this interview.
Question: How old were you when you first learned about your adoptive status? How did you find out?
I was too young when I came to know about my adoptive status, maybe 7-8 years old. I can say, in my childhood I was very notorious and hyperactive for eg I was a kid who always liked to make people scared by shouting behind them, suddenly and pulling legs … once my sister and my cousin brother were sitting in a room chit chatting. At that time I was about to prank/ tease them so I went towards the room. At that time I heard them talking about me and my adoption … at that moment I realised that I dont have a biological connection to my family and that I had been adopted.
Question: Did you face any negative experiences from other children/ adults growing because of the adoption status knowledge? If yes, how did you handle those situations?
Personally I never faced any challenges , but the time when I came to know about my adoptive status from that particular time I starting noticing my mom and dads behaviour towards me and my sis. I used to feel they were partial towards us which wasn’t that way in real … but I did feel so in my childhood ….
Question: Tejas, you recently gave an amazing dance tribute to your parents especially your mother, please share what inspired you to come up with this idea
In today’s world if we talk about love people just think about couples, girlfriend and boyfriend, husband and wife, but no one talks or else shows the bonding between parent and child or sister and brother. The thing which people forget is that the feeling of love is invented by mothers of our nation rather than any of the above relations that I have mentioned …. so I thought of making a tribute …. as me and my mom share very different bonding of love which can be called as best friends rather than mom and son.
Question: Now as a grown adoptee what words of advice would you have for other parents who are adoptive parents and who have various anxieties and struggles with their children?
Let the child know he or she is adopted before they come to know from someone else.
Be frank enough to them all the time, don’t ever ASSUME what will your child react if you tell them or share with them anything.
Treat them and give them love as your own which you feel you know it, but let your child also know it because your child won’t ever know until you express or convey!
Keep communication 24*7 on with your child no matter what, because as the child is getting older their circle becomes bigger in size they interact with more people, you never know who tells them what & by which thing they might get hurt.
Question: Any parting words?
I won’t say that everyone thinks this way, but few people have a wrong image about adoption like NAJAYAZ AULAD, 2 BAAP KI AULAD and many more..
To them I would just like to say there is nothing like JAYAZ OR NAJAYAZ. It is about the feeling which you have for that specific individual
#RESPECT it rather than calling them those words as you are insulting them ….
Thank you!
Yours faithfully,
TEJAS PEDNEKAR