Bijnor: In a heartwarming turn of events, a woman whose family had mourned her as dead for more than a decade has been reunited with her sons, leaving an entire village in tears. Rajo Devi, now 68, disappeared from Delhi in 2014, until kind-hearted individuals Subhash Chandra and Nafis Ahmad crossed her path.
The Disappearance
Suffering from acute depression after her husband's death, Rajo Devi walked out of her rented home one day and vanished without a trace. Despite filing police complaints and conducting searches across multiple districts, her family found no leads.
Years of Mourning
As time passed, her family performed rituals marking her death. Only a photograph remained as a reminder of her. They had lost all hope of ever seeing her again.
Discovery in Haryana
A few months ago, Subhash Chandra, a local social worker, found a disoriented elderly woman wandering alone near a village in Haryana. Unable to identify herself, she was placed in an ashram. With treatment and counseling, her memory gradually returned, bringing fragments of remembrance of a village, a family, and a life left behind.
Tracing the Family
Her village pradhan was traced, and a video call was made to her sons. Kapil Kumar, Sonu Kumar, and Rohit Kumar broke down on screen upon seeing their mother. Days later, Rajo Devi was handed back to her family.
Village Head's Account
Recalling the video call, Shahzadpur village head Nafis Ahmad told TOI on Thursday: "That was about a week ago. The call came from an ashram in Haryana. I believe they found my number on the internet. The caller asked me for information about a woman named Rajo Devi and also sent me her photograph. Since the family had earlier lived in Delhi and stayed in Bijnor's Shahzadpur briefly before moving to Haridwar for work, I could not recognize her."
Ahmad then showed her photograph to some villagers. They told the pradhan that "Rajo had already passed away." However, with Chandra and ashram staff insisting she was still alive, Ahmad contacted the woman's brother-in-law and obtained her sons' phone numbers.
Reunion
"I shared the information with them, following which they went to the ashram and brought their mother back home. Rajo Devi is now living with her three sons in Haridwar, where they are employed. They were happy to be reunited with their 'lost' mother," Ahmad added.
Family's Reaction
Meanwhile, Rajo's niece, Anamika, who lives in Shahzadpur, said, "Over time, we thought that we had lost her... It feels unreal today to see her again."
Rajo's Story
After the reunion, Rajo told her family that for years, she could not remember anything. She boarded a bus, which took her to Yamunanagar, and from there, she somehow landed in the ashram, years later. There, the staff took care of her and gradually she started to recall her past.
"This is a new life for me now," the 68-year-old said.
