Daijiworld Media Network – Pune

Pune, Dec 9: A decade after he was swept away during the 2015 Kedarnath cloudburst and officially declared dead, a man identified as Shivam has finally reunited with his family, thanks to the persistent efforts of doctors and social workers at Yerwada Mental Hospital.

Shivam, originally from Irjin village in Uttarakhand, was carried away by the flash floods and eventually reached Maharashtra. Lost, disoriented, and disconnected from his roots, he began living at a temple in Vaijapur, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district, where he started serving as a priest.

In 2015, when a theft took place inside the temple, the accused thieves allegedly took Shivam’s name, following which a police case was registered against him. Deeply distressed by the false accusation, his mental health deteriorated. On October 27, 2021, the police admitted him to Yerwada Mental Hospital for treatment.

During his long stay, Superintendent of Social Services Rohini Bhosale regularly interacted with Shivam to trace his background. Over months of patient conversations, he was finally able to recall the name of his native village, Irjin. Bhosale used Google to search for the location and contacted the local police through a video call. The police then managed to trace his relatives.

Shivam’s family, who had spent years searching for him before he was declared dead, broke down in tears upon learning that he was alive and safe. The hospital also succeeded in getting the false theft case against him withdrawn through a court order, clearing his name.

According to Dr Srinivas Kolod, Medical Superintendent, Shivam made a full recovery after four years of treatment. Last week, he was formally discharged and handed over to his family, marking an emotional closure to a decade-long ordeal.

The tireless efforts of Yerwada Mental Hospital’s medical team and social service department have been widely appreciated for giving a lost man his life and identity back.