Mahakalapara: Bhagyaban was seven when a couple found him inside a vehicle in Rayagada — abandoned by his mentally-challenged father. 14 years later, Bhagyaban, now a strapping 21-year-old youth, found his way back home in Kendrapara district, thanks to search engine Google.
Sources said Bhagyaban and his father Kailash had gone to his uncle Umesh Rath’s house at Dasmantpur in Koraput. After spending a few months in Umesh’s house, the father and son came to Rayagada bus stand to board a bus back to their village.
But Bhagyaban went missing at the bus stand. After searching for him in vain his father returned home alone.
A Christian couple, who saw the abandoned boy, asked him about his home. The couple took Bhagyaban to their house when he couldn’t recollect where he came from. After some days the couple took Bhagyaban to an orphanage. Bhagyaban, who resumed studies at the Saraswati Sishu Mandir in Gayatri Nagar, passed matriculation in 2015.
Later, he completed diploma in mechanical engineering at the Centurion University in Rayagada with the help of the orphanage.
Bhagyaban faintly remembered the name of his uncle’s village and a Hanuman Temple that he had visited with his father before he went missing. As he was searching for his whereabouts on Google with curiosity, he stumbled upon its location and immediately his childhood memories flashed.
He then told this to his friend Anil Bisoyi and the two came to his uncle’s village, and were surprised to see exactly what Bhagyaban used to describe from his faint memory.
Bhagyaban’s uncle identified him and informed his father, who rushed there and identified his son.
Bhagyaban had an emotional reunion with his mother. For 14 years his parents had no idea what had happened to their son. “The happiest moment for me was when I embraced my son after so many years,” Bhagyaban’s mother said.
Meanwhile, it came out that a youth impersonating as the couple’s son had come to their house a few months back. The man stole some money and fled after staying with us for five days.
PNN