From bonded labour to a mother’s embrace: Punjab reunites Tamil Nadu man with family after 23 yrs

In 2003, when the family was in Poomalaipatti, Prakash (then 16) left home after getting into an argument with his younger brother over a two-wheeler.

When he failed to return after a considerable amount of time, his family lodged a missing person report. But he had vanished without a trace.

Nearly four months later, there was a brief call from Prakash made to a neighbourhood grocery store in Poomalaipatti. He informed them he was in Chennai. This gave the family some hope. They believed he would eventually come back. He never returned until now.

When the family was in Neelambur, Prakash’s father succumbed to cancer, and the family sold their village land for his treatment. After which Sundari started living with the younger son, Prabhu, and her source of income became a parcel of farm land on lease, said Pal Singh Khraud, chief sewadar of Apna Farz Sewa Society. Apna Farz Sewa Society is the Patiala-based NGO that rescued Prakash and reunited him with his mother.

Under unknown circumstances, Prakash reached Punjab and was allegedly kept as a bonded labourer at a dairy farm in Jasraur village in Ajnala, Amritsar, for nearly two decades, Khraud informed. “He was chained, confined and forced to work without wages before our organisation rescued him in July 2022.”

After he was rescued, Prakash was brought to Apna Farz Sewa Society in Lachkani village, Patiala, where he underwent medical treatment, counselling and rehabilitation. Khraud said Prakash was traumatised and in deep shock, and initially he barely remembered anything. The only information he could provide: his first name and that he belonged to Tamil Nadu.

His condition had started to improve with the passing months. By 2023, Prakash’s memory began returning in fragments.

Around the same time, retired Haryana Assembly Secretary Subhash Chander, who was voluntarily assisting the NGO in the rehabilitation work, started speaking with Prakash about his past. During one such conversation, Prakash recalled the name of his native village — Poomalaipatti.

With this crucial clue, the NGO began searching for the village sarpanch’s contact number online. The barrier in language emerged as a new challenge. It was then that the sarpanch connected them with Tamil journalist Muthaiya, who acted as a translator. Muthaiya later also travelled to Neelambur in Coimbatore to trace Sundari.

What followed ended the mother’s belief that her son was forever lost — a video call between the family and the NGO, during which Sundari instantly recognised her long-lost son.

Khraud recalled that although Prakash remained fluent in Tamil, years in Punjab had enabled him to understand Punjabi. He could also communicate in broken Hindi.

“He had even learnt to happily tie a turban while staying at our NGO. Watching him leave with his mother on July 28 was an emotional moment for all of us,” Khraud said.

On July 5, Prabhu visited the NGO to meet his elder brother. A few days later, on July 13, Sundari approached the Coimbatore District Collector during a public grievances meeting seeking official assistance to bring her son home.

Officials from the Coimbatore and Patiala district administrations coordinated the verification process by matching school records and other documents establishing Prakash’s identity. Chandigarh Tamil Sangam also extended support in facilitating the reunion.

Confirming the sequence of events, Patiala Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Aggarwal said, “Prakash, who had gone missing as a teenager, was reunited with his family after nearly 23 years.” He also said, “Preliminary findings indicate that Prakash was allegedly forced into bonded labour after reaching Punjab. The Labour Department and the Social Security, Women and Child Development Department were directed to ensure that Prakash receives all compensation and rehabilitation benefits admissible under law, besides initiating appropriate legal proceedings against those responsible for allegedly keeping him in bonded labour.”