Kozhikode, Oct 10 : After nine long years of separation, Geetha, who had been residing at the Government Asha Bhavan in Mayanad, Kozhikode, was reunited with her family.

The 55-year-old woman, originally from Bhokar Nandi Nagar village in Nanded district, Maharashtra, had suffered a mental breakdown following the death of her parents, which led her to take a train to Kozhikode in 2016.

Geetha was initially admitted to the Kuthiravattam Mental Health Centre, where she received treatment and gradually regained her mental stability.

Post-recovery, she continued to live under the care of Asha Bhavan.

Due to language barriers, Geetha was unable to communicate her hometown clearly, but she provided crucial clues, enabling the local police to trace her family in Maharashtra.

Her children, Santosh Kumar Waghmare and Lakshmi Waghmare, who had assumed she was dead and performed the last rites years ago, were overwhelmed with emotion upon learning she was alive.

'This feels like a rebirth for us,' they said, sharing the struggles they endured after losing contact with their mother.

The reunion was facilitated by M. Shivan, a retired officer from the Ministry of Home Affairs and a social worker, who intervened to coordinate between the children and Asha Bhavan staff.

Geetha's husband, belonging to the Adivasi community, had married another woman 35 years ago, leaving her with three children, which compounded the family's hardships.

The children, who had been working in Nizamabad, Andhra Pradesh, immediately travelled to Kozhikode to bring their mother home.

Asha Bhavan staff witnessed the deeply emotional moments of the reunion.

Expressing their gratitude to the institution and the government for safeguarding their mother over the years, the children finally escorted Geetha back to her home.

The story highlights not just the emotional toll of long-term separations due to mental health crises but also the role of social workers and authorities in reconnecting families after years of uncertainty.

/IANS