‘My mother gave me away...I know she was incredibly brave’

Swiss MP Niklaus-Samuel Gugger was born in India. Shortly after his birth, his mother handed him over to the nurse and left the hospital never to return. Nik was adopted by a Swiss couple and grew up in Switzerland. He was elected as an MP six years ago and since then has worked to strengthen ties between his country of birth and Switzerland. He explains to Surojit Gupta why he is now focused on ensuring that the India-Switzerland free trade agreement (FTA) becomes a reality:Tell us about your journey from India to Switzerland.It is all about kindness. I was born in 1970 in a hospital in Udupi in Karnataka. My birth mother Anasuya, who could not have fed me due to financial difficulties, gave me away. I have always respected her wish. I do believe that she nurtured a strong bond with me during the nine months when I was in her womb. Who knows, we may see each other somewhere in the universe someday…but maybe she is no more. In her honour, I have given Indian names to all my children. My eldest daughter is named after her. I am certain that she must have been extremely brave. It must not have been easy for her to give birth to me and leave me soon after. medium103737314I have grown up with Swiss parents. My father was the last Swiss technical principal of Nettur Technical Training Foundation in Thalassery, Kerala. He served at the institute from 1970 to 1973. My mother taught German as a volunteer. In 1973, they moved back to Switzerland. While I grew up in Switzerland, India stayed in my heart. Maybe that is the reason that I like to serve both countries. Having studied emergency psychology and social work/management, I served as a psychologist during the 2004-05 tsunami. Along with my friend and Indian MP Dr Achyuta Samanta, I have been working for the tribal population in Odisha since 2018. Life seems to have come a full circle.How did you get into politics?There are no coincidences in life. As a youngster, I was engaged in social work with drug users in the infamous “Needle Park” in Zurich. It used to be a terrible situation. I remember young men and women dying in my arms. In 1997, a member from my current party was killed in the Luxor attack in Egypt. It was then that I was approached by a party worker, who knew about my social work, to contest the council elections. I accepted the challenge, not quite sure how it was going to work out! On the day of the election, to my own surprise, I jumped 50 places ahead and got elected. People from both the left and the right wing voted for me. I never expected to win. For the first seven years, I was a town councillor for my party and then became its spokesperson. Subsequently, I got elected as an MLA, and later on as an MP. And last year, I was awarded the mantle of ‘bridge-builder’ among all parties.Have you ever tried to find out about your biological parents?Honestly no, because my birth mother had expressed a desire that I should not be told about her. She took the promise from the doctor that her identity would not be revealed. In 1989, I visited the hospital where I was born but did not find any records. My mother’s wish came true and she found the best place for her son. I do not know if she knows this. Maybe she does, or maybe not. medium103737317I have visited India seven times this year, mostly to build bridges between Swiss and Indian economic and education interests. But I also aspire to build bridges between the cultures of my two countries. Earlier this year, it was an honour for me to deliver the keynote address at the 3rd World Ramayana Conference in Jabalpur.Why are you putting your weight behind the idea of an India-Switzerland FTA?I believe that I was destined to serve both Switzerland and India. I started the Swiss-Indian parliamentary group in 2018. With 60 members, it is now the biggest parliamentary group in Switzerland with members from both the chambers. For years, I have been working towards bringing Swiss SMEs [small and medium enterprises] to India. I have invested my life towards deepening the relations between the two countries that I call my own.Talks for an EFTA-India Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement were revived about two years back. I am convinced that it will be a win-win agreement for all sides. I believe it can happen. Switzerland and India have a long friendship of 75 years. We are partners. We know each other. It is a solid foundation.