‘Miraculous Return’:12-year-old boy, believed to be dead, reunites with family after 60 years

‘Not reel but real’, an unusual story unfolds as a boy who had gone missing at the age of 12, presumed dead by his family, returns home after 60 years. The entire village, along with his family members, welcomes him with dhol music and dance.

Gobardhana Lahara, a resident of Luhagudi Harijan Sahi in the Mohana block of Gajapati district, went to work as a laborer in Madhya Pradesh's Hursinghgaba district along with other villagers when he was just 12 years old. They had been taken to Hursinghgaba as migrant workers by a middleman based in Berhampur.

However, their employer subjected them to extreme working conditions and paid them poorly for their services. Frustrated with the situation, the laborers decided to return to their village and boarded a train back to Berhampur. Unfortunately, Gobardhana was caught by a TTE (Train Ticket Examiner) and thrown off the train at Nagpur railway station.

While all the other laborers managed to return home, Gobardhana got lost at Nagpur railway station. The Nagpur Municipality officials mistakenly believed that he had mental issues and sent him to a mental hospital, where he grew up.

“Everyone returned, but I was left behind at Nagpur railway station. I was too young back then. I spent 15 days in the railway station all alone. Later, the Municipality workers thought I was a mentally-retarded and put me in a mental hospital. Later, one of the employees in the mental hospital understood that I was a normal child and put me to work in a hotel. Since then, I was working in the hotel,” said Gobardhana Lahara.

Gobardhana’s younger sister Roopam Pradhan expressed that the family tried to find him but failed and thought he had died.

“He had gone missing for the last 60 years and has returned now. There was no mobile or anything back then, to track him or know his whereabouts. We tried to find him but to no avail. We thought he had died, but he is alive and has finally returned home. We are more than happy,” said Roopam.

The villagers were amazed to hear Gobardhana's story and learn about his struggles. His family members are thrilled to have him back home.

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