By C. M. Paul
KOLKATA, November 7, 2026: Near Sealdah railway station in Kolkata, amid the daily struggles of people living on the margins of society, Ramona Tratter is busy distributing food to the poor.
It is part of the daily feeding programme of the Don Bosco Human Resource Development (HRD) Mission. For her, however, this is more than an act of charity. It is a deeply personal way of reconnecting with the country where her own life began.
“I am a lucky girl, to get adopted in Europe and have a good life. Coming back to India, I want to give my luck and joy, a little bit back to India. My heart is still in India,” she says.
I caught up with Tratter near Sealdah railway station while she was participating in the feeding program.
Asked what it meant to return to India and serve people in the land of her birth, having received a home and a future through adoption, she waited patiently for the food distribution to conclude before sharing her feelings.
Her simple words capture the extraordinary journey of a little girl who once received care in Kolkata and has returned decades later as a qualified nurse, bringing care and hope to others.
Born in 1995, Tratter spent the first three years of her life at Shishu Bhavan, Kolkata, run by the Missionaries of Charity founded by St Teresa of Calcutta, popularly known as Mother Teresa.
In 1998, Joseph and Gertraud Tratter, a couple from South Tyrol, the German-speaking region of northern Italy bordering Austria, adopted her and welcomed her into their family.
Growing up in Europe, Tratter trained as a nurse in Austria and now works in a hospital in her hometown in South Tyrol. Yet, the story of her beginnings in India remained an important part of her identity.
Journey back to her roots
In 2018, Tratter returned to Kolkata as a volunteer with the Missionaries of Charity, hoping both to serve and to discover her roots.
During that visit, through Petra Theiner, a fellow South Tyrolean, she came into contact with the social and humanitarian initiatives at Bagar garbage dump and later at Dhobasole, West Midnapore, in West Bengal.
That encounter gradually developed into a personal mission.
For the past three years, Tratter has traveled from Italy to Dhobasole annually to organize free medical camps in surrounding villages and leprosy colonies.
Supported by the Don Bosco HRD Mission, the initiative has become a meaningful way for her to reconnect with the country of her birth while putting her professional nursing skills at the service of people in need.
Her latest visit brought another South Tyrolean, Helga P. Steiner, along with her.
Together with the local medical team led by Holy Family Sister Smitha, they conducted a ten-day medical camp reaching 13 villages and providing medical check-ups and essential medicines to 814 people.
For communities where access to regular healthcare remains difficult, the camp offered an opportunity to receive medical attention closer to home.
Moved by the suffering of the poor
Tratter’s compassion is not confined to the medical camps at Dhobasole. Her participation in the feeding program near Sealdah railway station offers another glimpse into her concern for people living in extreme poverty.
Father Mathew George, director of the Don Bosco HRD Mission, who accompanied her during the food distribution in the Sealdah area, says her response to human suffering is deeply personal.
“She is moved to tears when she sees how inhuman a life they lead and how lucky she has been in life. She is so happy to return again and again to Calcutta and Dhobasole to serve the people and interact with them. Such kind of compassion and empathy is rare in today’s world,” he says.
For Tratter, the experience of returning to India is therefore not merely about rediscovering her past. It is about recognising the needs of others and responding with the opportunities and abilities life has given her.
Commitment that goes beyond ten days
Tratter’s commitment extends well beyond the ten days she spends in India.
Back in South Tyrol, she takes the initiative to raise funds to purchase medicines for the Don Bosco HRD Mission dispensary at Dhobasole.
Her efforts help maintain the supply of essential medicines throughout the year, ensuring that local residents continue to benefit from healthcare long after the visiting medical team has returned to Italy.
Her latest medical camp, conducted last week in collaboration with Steiner and the local medical team, reached 13 villages and provided medical check-ups and medicines to 814 people. The initiative also provided timely medical attention and support to 84 individuals and families.
The visiting volunteers and local personnel worked together to ensure that services reached those most in need.
While Tratter and Steiner brought professional skills and international support, Sister Smitha and the local medical team contributed their knowledge of the communities and their continuing commitment to their well-being.
The Don Bosco HRD Mission acknowledged the generosity of Tratter and Steiner, while expressing appreciation to Sr Smitha, Sannigrahi and the entire Dhobasole Medical Team for their dedication and coordination.
Gratitude was also extended to friends and supporters in South Tyrol whose contributions have helped sustain the initiative.
From receiving care to caring for others
There is something profoundly moving about Tratter’s journey. As a toddler, she received care and protection at Shishu Bhavan in Kolkata. Adopted into a loving family in Europe, she grew up with opportunities that eventually led her to a career in healthcare.
Today, she has returned to India as a nurse, extending care to people who often have limited access to medical facilities.
Her story is not simply about returning to discover her roots. It is about allowing those roots to grow into a commitment to others. The child who once needed a home and protection has grown into a caregiver who crosses continents to serve people she may never have met before.
The medical camps at Dhobasole, the medicines she helps provide throughout the year and her participation in feeding the poor at Sealdah are different expressions of the same compassion.
In a world where international relationships are often measured in economic and political terms, Tratter’s journey offers a different understanding of global solidarity: one rooted in gratitude, friendship and service.
A little girl once received care in Kolkata. Years later, from her home in Italy, she has found a way to give that care back to the land of her birth.
Her words, “My heart is still in India,” perhaps explain her journey better than any elaborate tribute.
For Tratter, the journey from Shishu Bhavan to Dhobasole has come full circle. And the most meaningful way of acknowledging the gift of care she once received is to pass it on to others.