How the two women first met

Meena Geltink and Minal Tijssen met in their early teens at an adoption agency event in the Netherlands. Friends at the gathering pointed out their similar appearance and mannerisms. Meena recalled noticing the resemblance immediately and exchanging contact details afterward. All the adopted children were brought together to hang out and bond and have dinner. Both Meena and Minal were with friends who noticed how similar they looked. They said, 'Look at yourselves in the mirror'. And Meena was like, 'Oh my God, she has my nose! We have the same laugh'. At dinner, she kept looking at her the whole time, Meena told the BBC from her home in the Netherlands. The following day, the girls exchanged telephone numbers and addresses and promised to keep in touch. Even though there was no indication they were related by blood, their connection was instant.

Years of friendship without knowing the truth

The pair stayed in touch through letters for many years. They discussed school, music and daily life, often addressing each other as sister. They wrote about school, friends, boys, going out and dancing. They told each other about the sports they played and discussed music, discovering they both loved Backstreet Boys. They often addressed each other as 'Sis' because they felt that way. Contact ended around 15 years ago when Minal moved to France and Meena focused on raising her first child. Then 15 years ago they lost contact. Minal had moved to France. And Meena had recently had her first child and got busy.

The DNA test that changed everything

In 2017 Meena took a DNA test but found no matches at the time. Minal tested in April while visiting her parents in the Netherlands. On 20 May she contacted Meena on Facebook with the result showing a 100 percent match as full sisters. Meena attended another meeting of adoptees from India where she heard about DNA testing and decided to take a test herself. But she never found any matches and earlier this year deleted the app because her phone storage was full. Then on 20 May Meena received a message from Minal on Facebook. 'Remember me?' she asked. Minal had taken a DNA test in April while visiting her parents in the Netherlands and attached a screengrab of her test result. I reinstalled the app. I was so nervous I entered wrong passwords 10 times before I was able to log in, Meena says. The result couldn't have been clearer - the two women were a 100% match. I had a 'full sister' which means we shared the same biological mother and father, Meena explains.

Reactions to the confirmation

Meena described an immediate emotional response and reinstalled the testing app after multiple login attempts. Both women said the result confirmed long-held intuitions about their connection. They met again in August for an emotional reunion involving tears and shared memories. It was like I had an adrenalin shot. I cried. Minal was my missing puzzle piece I had waited so long for. We had called each other sister. This DNA match was the confirmation that all our intuition was right. On a fine sunny day in August the old friends met for the first time since discovering they were sisters. It was amazing. It felt like homecoming, Meena says. Reporting on their emotional reunion, Reuters said tears, hugs and laughter punctuated their meeting followed by their first selfie together. Minal, who lives in France with her partner and two sons, told the agency that when her DNA results came in April, she had initially not realised her match was the same teenage girl who had clung to her when they first met 30 years ago. It only sank in when she looked at her photos on social media. 'Meena: Sister.' I couldn't believe it. We were friends before we were sisters. We were sisters the whole time, she said, but we didn't know.

Family backgrounds and early life

Meena grew up in a small Dutch village with parents who taught at a private school. Minal lives in France with her partner and two sons. Both were adopted by different Dutch couples from separate Mumbai orphanages within months of each other. Meena says she grew up in a small village in the Netherlands with parents who taught at a private school. They were also my teachers, she says. They were very loving people, very trusting. Her father died a few years ago, but her mother continues to live in the same village. We talk every day. She's still my safe space, she adds. In 2003, aged 19, Meena had visited the orphanage in Mumbai with her parents and her brother who was adopted from Goa. They spent two weeks looking through records, trying to find out about Meena's biological parents because for me it was important to know where I came from. But the orphanage would not reveal any details about them, she says. Meena and Minal were adopted from different orphanages by two different Dutch couples.

Plans and reflections

The sisters now speak every other day and have introduced each other to their families. They have discussed returning to Mumbai together. Meena noted they missed sharing major life events before learning the truth. Since May, Meena and Minal have been speaking every other day. They've met each other's spouses, children, brothers and parents. Everyone notices how we finish each other's sentences, how we move our heads or walk similar, Meena says. The fact they are siblings is still sinking in, she says. Sometimes we talk for two hours and lose track of time, suddenly remembering that we have to do groceries or pick up children from school. One thing she and her sister would love to do, Meena says, is return to the place where it all began. We'd love to go to India together sometime, to walk through the streets of Mumbai together. There were times when we both felt very lonely, like when I lost my dad or went through a heartbreak, she says. I regret we couldn't be with each other - we could have shared happiness, helped each other in tough times. For years, Minal and I had felt a big hole in our hearts. We feel like we've been completed. Everything now feels like it's supposed to be.

Frequently asked questions

Where were Meena and Minal adopted from?

Both were adopted as infants from different orphanages in Mumbai, India, in the early 1980s by separate Dutch families.

How did the DNA match occur?

Minal took a consumer DNA test in April. The results showed a full sibling match with Meena, who had tested earlier.

Did the women suspect they were related before the test?

They had noticed strong physical and behavioral similarities since their teens and often referred to each other as sister, but had no proof of blood relation.

Where do the sisters live now?

Meena lives in the Netherlands and Minal lives in France. Both have children and spouses.

Do they plan to visit India together?

They have expressed interest in returning to Mumbai to walk the streets where their story began.