HYDERABAD: Sachin and Satish want to be in the US. There are many like them at Tender Loving Care Home (TLCH), a private adoption home at Sanatnagar. Trouble is, neither 11-year-old Satish nor 14-year-old Sachin know that the courts have clearly stated that foreigners come only second in the adoption line. Indians get the first priority. Still, Satish and Sachin want to be in homes in the US, Italy or even in Holland. But when they were moved into the TLCH, they never wanted to be in some foreign home. They were told that somebody from a distant land would come and take them away. Besides, all these days they''ve had Americans, Britons or even a stray Hollander come and shower them with gifts. So many such couples have called on them, pampered them and vanished. Not for once did the tender mind at the adoption home know that outside, a legal battle was raging on about who should have the first right to adopt a child. One of 31 children at the TLCH, Satish,who used to suffer from frequent fits, still dreams of a home in the US. "That day, mummy came from the US and someday, I''ll go there. I love animals and learning the tables," he says. "The boy had been suffering from tuberculosis and slight epilepsy. We got him treated. He''s an intelligent child and sharp with numbers," TLCH director Sister Maria Teresa said. "Several Indian parents have come to see Satish. That was when he was much smaller. They didn''t take him. So, we proposed an inter-country adoption for him. We even got an NOC for his case. But when a US couple came forward to accept him, the courts came in the way," she said. Similar is the case with Sachin. He was told that his Italian parents were waiting to take him home. "Sachin was five when we got him here. He had been abandoned. He was a reluctant learner, but constant counselling improved him and today, he goes to Birdie, a Don Bosco training centre at Golconda. He''s interested in painting, speaks a smattering of English and has picked up a bit of Italian as well. He has a knack for repairing electrical gadgets," Sister Teresa says. But what stops Sachin and Satish from finding Indian parents? "Procedural delays," says Rami Reddy, director, women and child welfare department. Besides, there are several cases pending in the courts. Indeed, there are as many as 300 couples wanting to adopt children. So, there''s no dearth of parents. "True, but we are very careful about the abilities and intentions of the couples wanting to adopt our children," says Sister Teresa. Her home has given out as many as 600 children for adoption in the past few years. "It really doesn''t matter if the parents are from the country or from abroad. Our only concern is the care they get in their new homes. There are so many couples who come calling, promise to fulfil our needs and simply vanish. There are also those from foreign countries who still want to take the children, but are kept back from doing so because Indian families are in the queue. So, the dreams of Sachin and Satish could take some more time to come true.