Special Gift of Christmas

Man missing for Seven years reunited with his family in MP

By Special correspondent: It was on the morning of 21st December 2024 that our Social Worker while on their way back reuniting an elderly man to his family got to see a young person on the main road at Kalpakkam told Mr.Vidyaakar, the Founder Secretary of Udavum Karangal. He added that he was with unkempt hair, dirtily dressed and talking to himself. 

                     

 Ashok with Mr. Vidyaakar

Mr. Mohan, Mr. Jacob and Mr.Shanawaz,Social workers went to him and convinced to get admitted into Udavum Karangal’s Home.  As he agreed he was rescued and admitted to the Home Shantivanam, Thiruverkadu.  He was given a bath, provided clothes to wear and a sumptuous meal. The experienced social worker of the NGO Mr.Srinivasa Rao, while counselling him could get his name as Ashok Burman. He was referred to the Psychiatrist of the home and was diagnosed as having Schizophrenia.  He was provided medication and regular counselling to know his whereabouts. 

On 23rd December they found that he belonged to a village called Dhanedi Khurd Post, Binaika Tehsil, Maihar, Dhandari Khurd, Satna District (Binaika) of Madhyapradesh. Information was sent about him along with a photo in Whatsapp to one of the phone numbers they got from near his house.  One of the relatives in the village saw the photo and recognised Ashok and immediately informed the family.  Mr.Rajpal Burman the brother-in-law of Ashok, immediately contacted Mr.Srinivasa Rao, Social Worker of Udavum Karangal and promised to come immediately. He jumped in joy and immediately booked a flight to come to Chennai to receive his brother-in-law.  He also sent the Aadhar Card and FIR details supporting their claim.

Mr.Rajpal Burman on arriving at Udavum Karangal on 25th December confirmed that he was his brother in law and showed the FIR lodged for missing for the past 7years. He gave some more details of Ashok, that he had 2 brothers and 1 sister.  His parents are alive.  He studied only upto 8th Std. and had no job.  It was due to his friends who introduced him into taking drugs he almost became mentally ill.  One day when he was told that he will not be given money, he ran out of the house.  He was missing from 29-09-2017.  They were frantically searching for him but could not find out his whereabouts for the past 7 years. They thought he was almost dead.  

Mr. Ashok Burman was restored on 25th December 2024 in the presence of the Founder Secretary Udavum Karangal, Mr.Vidyaakar who gave them free medicines for a month and counselling for future treatment. Mr.Rajpal Burman brother-in-law of Ashok thanked the team of social workers and the Founder for reuniting him back to his family.             

From L to R – Mr. Mohan Social Worker, Mr. Jacob Social Worker, Mr. Vidyaakar, Founder Udavum Karangal, Mr. Ashok- patient, Mr. Rajpal- Brother in law of Ashok, Mr. Srinivasa Rao, Social Worker

News: Man missing for Five years from U.P. reunited with his family

Man missing for Five years reunited with his family

By Special Correspondent: 

3rd December of every year is celebrated as “The International Day of Persons with Disabilities” .  It is to  celebrate the abilities of people with disabilities and to promote their rights to equal opportunities, dignity, and well-being. It helps people to  understand disability issues and gain support to ensure that their rights to well-being, dignity and equal opportunities are practiced. Directorate for welfare of the Differently abled,  one of  the key  department of Government of Tamilnadu,  has been vociferous in safeguarding their rights and has introduced various welfare schemes to make sure that  the differently abled persons are in equal status to the other people. 

Udavum Karangal has also been serving the differently abled for the last 40 years by ensuring that the mentally ill on the streets are rescued, rehabilitated and reunited with their families. In these lines  recently  a rehabilitated mentally ill person was reunited with his family to Uttarpradesh after 5 years of missing. 

On 17th Jan 2020, Mr.Vidyaakar, Founder of Udavum Karangal  received a call from a well wisher saying that a man wandering on the main road near Puzhuthiwalkam Main Road for the past two weeks and  needs help. 

Mr. Mohan a  Social worker of that NGO rescued him  and admitted him to their Home Shanthivanam.  He was given  a bath, provided clothes to wear and provided a sumptuous lunch. Their experienced social worker Mr. Srinivasa Rao while counselling him could get his name  as Rizwan Khan. Constant monitoring was done as the patient was non-cooperative, with aggressive attitude and not mingling with others. He is an epileptic patient too. He was handicapped in his right hand and could not use it.

The NGO spokesman said that "we sent  information about him along with photo in facebook but there was no feedback. When a new patient arrives we  register them for  Aadhar card though they may be  mentally ill patients.  So we had one day taken Rizwan  to E Sevai Maiyam at Thiruverkadu and his application was rejected.    But when his fingers were placed on the bio-metric  his details like name and address appeared in the monitor .  We could get the original Aadhar from the computer from where we could get many a details.   His village was Araji,  Thuthibari Panchayat, Maharajganj District, Uttarpradesh. Based on which we found a phone number  of Mr. Kyamuddin Ansari who is having a lodge in that place." When they told him about Rizwan he immediately shared the number of his brother Mr. Sulaiman who was at Ahmadabad.  The NGO personal also made a video call to his brother on 28th Nov and he confirmed that he was his elder brother and was missing for the past 5 years. He jumped in joy and  immediately booked a flight to come to Chennai to receive his brother.    

Mr. Sulaiman , the brother of the patient came to Udavum Karangal on 29 November and met his brother Rizwan Khan. That was a tearful reunion. On arriving at UdavumKarangal’s Home at Thiruverkadu, Sulaiman  gave complete details about the family and the missing of his brother for the past  5 years.

“Rizwan was the eldest son of Mr. Kuresh and Mrs. Nasimum.  He had 5 siblings i.e.  4 sisters and a brother ( Mr. Sulaiman).  He is not educated and was not working as well. His parents got him married to a girl from a nearby village in April 2019.  He had mental illness from his childhood and was under psychiatric treatment in a local hospital .  One day on 22 October 2019, he went missing from his house and could not be traced till date.  They had lodged a FIR with Thuthibari Panchayat Police Station for missing of Rizwan.  On missing of Rizwan his wife went away to her parents place and has also got herself married.  

Mr.Rizwan Khan  was restored on 29th November  2024 in the presence of the Founder Secretary UdavumKarangal, Mr.Vidyaakar who gave them free medicines for a month and counselling for future treatment.  Mr. Sulaiman, brother of Rizwan thanked the team of social workers and the Founder for reuniting him back to his family.