A Facebook post shared by a Bhojpuri star helped an elderly woman, who had gone missing from home a year ago, reunite with her family. Nirmala Devi, 71, had left her home in Danapur in Bihar in July last year and the family made frantic efforts to trace her but could not find the elderly woman.
Bhojpuri film actor, Khesari Lal Yadav, was in Prayagraj in March this year, in connection with the shooting of his film. On 15 March, he visited an ashram in the Naini area to celebrate his birthday.
A few days ago, he posted a photograph of the event on his Facebook page. Ram Pratap Singh, a relative of Nirmala Devi, saw the Facebook photograph and identified the woman. He immediately informed her family.
“My aunt had left the house on July 28, 2020 from Danapur and when we started looking for her, all the trails came to a dead end at Varanasi. We did not have the faintest of idea that she could be staying at Prayagraj.”Mahesh Mal, Nirmala Devi’s Nephew
Mahesh Mal said that Nirmala Devi is now staying with her family in Lucknow.
The manager of the Adharshila Vridhhaashram, Sushil Srivastava, said, that Nirmala Devi had left her house because of some family issues. She somehow reached Varanasi, from there she went to Vindhyachal and then to the Zero Road bus stop of Prayagraj.
“On 3 August, last year, she was brought to the ashram. We tried to locate her house but all efforts proved futile because she could not remember anything correctly.”Sushil Srivastava, Manager, Adharshila Vridhha ashram
Nirmala Devi has three daughters – Pratibha Singh, Sangeeta and Prabha.
Sushil said that when the family met Nirmala Devi and requested her to come with them, she refused saying that she was happy and comfortable at the ashram.
However, they again counselled her, after which she agreed to stay with her brother in Lucknow.
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