While many said it was written in the stars, Sania's father cared little how it all happened as happy tears trickled down his eyes without any bounds.
For her dumbstruck mother, it was hard to comprehend that Sania, the apple of her eye, has come back home after 26 years of disapperance. But instead of any tears that she hardly has left after years of mourning over losing her son, her longing motherly love broke loose as she fed him food with her own hands.
Sadhuapada village in Soro block of Balasore district on Sunday witnessed a reunion of a missing man with his family which seemed like a spectacle straight out from a movie script.
Sania Nayak, who was just a teen when he went missing way back in 1995, returned back to his family after 26 long years. His homecoming sparked moments of merriment in the entire village. For Sania, his eyes welled up after he met his family members.
According to reports, Sania once went out with his friends for a feast from his house and remained incommunicado. Despite the family members' frantic search for him at every possible place including their relatives' houses, they failed to get any clues about his whereabouts.
Pradyumna Nayak, a resident of the village, said, "I know Sania from my childhood. He was five-six years junior to me. One day in 1995, he went missing and was untraceable since then. However, we are delighted that he has returned back after over two decades."
“At first I couldn’t believe it; at last God listened to my prayers. It is due to God blessings that my son returned to me. I'm, extremely happy," said Sania's mother Basanti Nayak.
After the news of his homecoming, elders and young down to the children came together to see Sania.
According to Sania, he was in Mumbai where he was working at a gas welding shop but its owner made him a bonded labourer and forced him to work without any payment.
(Edited By Suryakant Jena)