UP man who fled home at age 15 reunited with family 42 years later in Rajasthan

Murlidhar Diwedi fled from his home in Uttar Pradesh’s Bhadohi district after failing the Class 10 state board examination. He was reunited with his family on Thursday, four decades later.

Dwivedi, now 57, was brought to a shelter home for the homeless in Kota in November 2018. On Thursday, his elder brother, Sharadkant Dwivedi came to take him home.

Murlidhar Dwivedi was brought to Apna Ghar, a shelter home run by an NGO, that found him in a destitute condition. The home officials said he did not seem to be in sound mental condition due to a head injury.

“After treatment and counselling for months, his family members were traced with the help of Orai police station of Uttar Pradesh,” said Apna Ghar shelter home spokesperson Manoj Jain Adinath.

Murlidhar does not remember anything about the head injury due to his mental state, he added.

Now he will return to his home in UP today after 42 years, Adinath said.

“Fearing being scolded by his parents for failing to clear Class 10, Murlidhar had left home at the age of 15 years from his native village Kathari in Bhadohi district (now Sant Ravidas Nagar) in 1977,” Sharadkant, his visibly emotional elder brother said.

“My father, Sadanand Dwivedi, was a schoolteacher. He searched for Murlidhar in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan but could not find him till his death a few years ago,” he said.

He said the family, however, never gave up on finding Murlidhar.

“Murlidhar used to write letters to us but gave incorrect addresses due to which he could not be traced for long,” said Sharadkant. “My father died taking his name and my mother Basanti Devi still talks about him. Now when he has been found after such a long period, it is a pleasant surprise for the mother and entire family.”

Apart from Murlidhar, they have another brother and a sister, Sharadkant, the eldest sibling said.

After spending around 9 years in Delhi and Mumbai, Murlidhar landed in Kota in 1987 where he worked as a driver and later worked as a labourer at a savoury shop for several years.

Murlidhar said he is happy to meet his mother and other family members back home.

First Published: Feb 08, 2019 10:35 IST