From Lost to Found: The Emotional Return of Kiran to Her Family

Name – Kiran
Age – 42 years

This is the story of Kiran, who lived in Tirwa village in Kannauj, Kanpur, with her husband Nanhe and their children. Her parents and in-laws also reside in Tirwa village. Kiran shoulders the responsibility of six children, with Mansu, her eldest son, aged around 25, followed by her daughters Sapna (24), Nancy (22), Priyanshi, and the youngest, a son aged 14. The eldest son and daughter have already entered marital bonds.

A decade ago, due to unfavorable financial circumstances, they uprooted to Punjab. Nanhe, adept in gardening, found employment as a gardener while Kiran, despite lacking formal education, sought work as a domestic helper in others’ homes.

However One day, Kiran’s mental balance got disturbed, and she left her house, reaching the railway station. She boarded a train and reached Govindgarh station near Alwar in Rajasthan. From there, she reached Moza Pag Sedi, where an unknown woman took her to her home, fed her, and then Kiran left.

Walking on unfamiliar roads, she asked a person on a bike for help. After sitting on the bike, she got scared and jumped off the moving bike, causing injuries on her upper lip, nose, right eye area, and right knee. The police admitted her to a nearby hospital. There, initial treatment was done, but when the police tried to gather information from her, she couldn’t remember anything. She kept asking to go home, appearing quite frightened.

Afterwards, the police constable from Govindgarh Police Station admitted Kiran to Anandamayee Vijay Mandir on October 16, 2023. Here, she was cared for by social workers who treated her with compassion. Her treatment began under the supervision of a psychiatrist at Rajiv Gandhi Hospital, and slowly, over the course of a month, Kiran’s mental state started to improve. During her stay, she was able to recall a partial address of her home and expressed her desire to return to her family.

Our social workers at NGO Sapna immediately began searching for more information about her family. We discovered that Kiran was from a village called Tirva, located near Kannauj in Uttar Pradesh. We contacted a female constable in Tirva through a number we found on Google. She referred us to another police officer. We shared Kiran’s story with him, but he said Tirva is a large area, and it’s very difficult to find her home without proper information. We received no further response.

We continued talking to Kiran, hoping to get more details about her village. She recalled that her village was near the Tirwaganj bus stand, Then, we called the SHO of Tirwaganj, who asked us to send him Kiran’s photograph, saying they would assist if they found any information.

At this point, we began to feel that the police might not be able to help further. Kiran, however, was eager to go home. We had an idea—why not show Kiran the street view of Tirwaganj bus stand? Our efforts paid off. She recognized the bus stand and pointed out a large gate nearby, saying that it led to her village. Unfortunately, the street view didn’t extend further, leaving us at a dead end.

On February 22, we zoomed in on the street view and noticed a phone number on the signboard of a shop called Iqbal Tailors. We called the number and explained Kiran’s situation to the shop owner, Iqbal. He kindly agreed to help but was unable to find Kiran’s village. Encouraged by his efforts, we thought, if one stranger was willing to help, maybe others would too.

Using street view again, we found the number of a tent shop nearby. We contacted the tent shop owner, who put us in touch with someone he knew who was familiar with the area. After speaking with Kiran, this person was able to understand her directions and promised to visit her village the next day.

On February 24, he went to the village and spoke with Kiran’s uncle-in-law. They had a conversation with Kiran, and it was confirmed that this was indeed her home. Her uncle-in-law then gave the number of Kiran’s son, Himanshu, who was living in Punjab, to our NGO worker Jogender. Soon after, Himanshu called and spoke to Kiran through a video call. It was an emotional moment for both of them.

Himanshu told us that he and Kiran’s son-in-law would come to take her home. On February 26, they arrived at our center. They shared with us that Kiran had been on medication for some time, and that this wasn’t the first time she had gone missing. Previously, she had wandered off, and after an extensive search, the family had found her. This time, despite searching all the nearby areas, and even as far as Bihar, Jharkhand, Delhi & Madhya Pradesh, they couldn’t find any trace of her.

They expressed their heartfelt gratitude to NGO Sapna for reuniting them with their beloved mother. We informed the Govindgarh Police Station in-charge about Kiran’s return home, and after completing some paperwork, we handed her over to her son Himanshu and son-in-law.

It was a deeply emotional reunion, and we hope that Kiran remains happy and safe with her family, surrounded by their love and care.