Kolkata, Sep 22 (IANS) Authorities in West Bengal are seeking help from amateur radio operators to reunite lost people with their families. Many of these individuals, housed at state-run shelters for people experiencing homelessness, suffer from mental health issues and are unable to provide details about their families. Radio operators use their vast network to trace relatives, after which authorities take necessary action for reunification.
In the latest case, officials at a Kolkata shelter contacted the West Bengal Radio Club (WBRC) regarding an older woman who had been staying there for nearly two months.
“We started searching for her family, and within a few days, one of our members got a lead in a village at Sitarampur, Kakdwip, in the South 24-Parganas district. Locals identified the woman from her photograph and helped us get in touch with one of her nephews,” said Ambarish Nag Biswas, secretary of WBRC.
The nephew confirmed her name as Parbati Mallik, about 67 years old. She was married to Ashok Mallik of Budge Budge in South 24-Parganas.
“The marriage didn’t last, and she left with her two daughters. She brought them up through hardship. The elder daughter got married and is now settled in Midnapore. The younger one works and lives at Madhyamgram in North 24-Parganas, near Kolkata,” Nag Biswas said.
Parbati had been living with her elder daughter in Midnapore. A few months ago, she visited her younger daughter Puja and began staying with her.
“There was deterioration in her mental health, and on August 11, she left her daughter’s home. All efforts to trace her failed, but she could not be found. A Kolkata Police officer spotted her wandering and took her to a hospital. A court then ordered that she be sent to the state-run shelter. The authorities from there contacted us,” the WBRC secretary said.
Puja was informed about her mother and rushed to the shelter to meet her, carrying a letter from the chairman of Budge Budge Municipality with details about Parbati.
“We treat Durga Puja as a homecoming for the Goddess. Parbati is another name for Goddess Durga. This can be treated as a real homecoming of a mother,” Nag Biswas said.
–IANS
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