Abandoned at birth, Indian elected to Swiss Parliament

Niklaus added he would be the only Indian in the Swiss parliament for at least the next decade as there was no other active Indian-origin politician in the country.

By: IANS | New Delhi | Published: January 19, 2018 12:22 pm

His biological mother Anasuiya could never have imagined that Niklaus-Samuel Gugger, whom she abandoned in a hospital 48 years ago just after his birth, would be the first Indian to be elected to the Swiss parliament. Born in CSI Lombard Memorial Hospital, run by Basel Mission, in Karnataka’s Udupi town, on May 1, 1970, Niklaus was adopted by a Swiss couple within a week of his abandonment.

Niklaus’s new parents — Fritz and Elizbeth — took him to Kerala when he was just 15 days old and they lived there for around four years before moving to their native place in Switzerland. There, Niklaus had to drive trucks and work as a gardener as his adoptive parents were not rich enough to finance his higher studies.