Madhubani: For 21 years, Maheshpura village in Madhubani carried the memory of a boy who had disappeared without a trace. His family searched, waited and eventually learnt to live with the painful uncertainty of never knowing what had happened to him.That wait ended on Sept 7, when Ram Shankar Kushwaha, who had gone missing in 2005 at the age of 15, returned to his village and into the arms of his mother. The story of emotional return of Ram Shankar went viral on Wednesday.Ram Shankar, known for his love of train journeys, had wandered away with a group of sadhus after a community feast. He never returned home. His family searched for years but eventually lost hope of seeing him again.Over the years, Ram Shankar travelled through different places before settling in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh. In 2018, he found shelter at Swarg Sadan. It was there that local DSP Santosh Patel met him, recorded his personal details and posted a video appeal on social media seeking information about his family.Thousands of kilometres away, the post found its way to the people who had been looking for him for years. Relatives in Maheshpura saw the video and recognised the man in it. His mother watched the footage and confirmed that he was her long-lost son.His cousin, Lalit Shastri, then travelled to Gwalior to bring him home. After completing the necessary formalities, Ram Shankar finally returned to Maheshpura on Sept 7.News of his return quickly spread through the village. Villagers gathered in large numbers along NH-57 near Jhanjharpur-Kanhauli to welcome him, with drums, DJ music and celebrations marking his homecoming.But amid the music and celebrations, the most poignant moment came when Ram Shankar and his mother finally met and embraced after 21 years. The reunion left many in the gathering in tears.“This is the happiest day of our lives,” said Lalit Shastri, while expressing gratitude to DSP Santosh Patel for the social media post that helped reunite the family.
