Brahmapur: A five-year-old mystery surrounding the disappearance of 70-year-old Indu Bishoyi of Odisha’s Ganjam district came to an emotional end when her grandson recognised her during a television broadcast from an old-age home in Bhubaneswar.
Indu Bishoyi of Barmunduli village in Sanakhemundi block had gone missing five years ago under unusual circumstances. She was staying with her son Upendra and daughter-in-law Urmila at Nayapalli in Bhubaneswar.
While Urmila had gone to Barmunduli to collect government-supplied ration rice, Indu went to a nearby ration shop to buy some essentials. She never returned.
Her 12-year-old grandson Bikram searched nearby houses and localities for her. After being informed, Upendra returned from Mumbai, where he had gone as a migrant labourer, and searched extensively across Bhubaneswar. But there was no trace of his mother.
Unknown to the family, Indu had been found sitting by the roadside and crying. She was unable to recall her home address or provide details that could establish her identity. A police officer from Nayapalli police station took her to an old-age home for her safety.
Despite repeated efforts, the authorities of the home could not ascertain her identity for years.
The breakthrough came recently when a private television channel telecast a live programme from the old-age home. Bikram, now 17, happened to watch the programme and immediately recognised the elderly woman as his missing grandmother.
The family traced the address of the old-age home, reached there and confirmed her identity before bringing her back to Barmunduli.
The reunion turned the family’s five-year wait into an emotional celebration. Relatives from distant places and villagers gathered to welcome Indu, while Upendra said finding his mother after five years was “the happiest moment” of his life.
Indu, too, expressed happiness at being reunited with her son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren.
The family, however, remains economically vulnerable. Upendra works as a daily wage labourer and lives with his family in a tin-roofed house. Villagers have urged the administration to extend government assistance to the family.
A journey that began with a disappearance ended with a face on a television screen—recognised by the grandson who had never stopped hoping that his grandmother would one day return home.