Mangaluru: Finding and being reunited with someone you thought you had lost ages ago, is a story that can melt any hardened heart. People go missing everyday. Most are lost to the world, while a handful find their way back home… somehow.

Muthu (53), hailing from Shivaganga district, Tamil Nadu, was brought to Snehalaya, after he was found on a highway in Mangaluru, scavenging for food from a dustbin.

After having received psychiatric treatment at Yenepoya Hospotal, he was admitted to the Snehalaya Psycho-Social Rehabilitation Centre for Men. Muthu has been with the Snehalaya family for the last three years, where he was looked after and treated well.

Muthu had disappeared from his home 17 years ago, and his parents are no longer with the living. His wife, Pushppalatha, a homemaker, and his two sons, who are presently working, had filed a missing persons case with the police but were unable to trace Muthu. They finally gave up hope of ever seeing their beloved family member again and presumed him dead.

Their hope was renewed when they received a letter from Snehalaya stating that Muthu, now of perfect mental health, wished to return to his family and live with them. The family was naturally ecstatic and thankful to God for having answered their prayers.

Muthu’s brother and other family members visited Snehalaya on January 5, and were finally reunited with their long lost member.

Snehalaya Charitable Trust, founded by Joseph Crasta in 2009, is an institution that cares for the neglected, abandoned and ailing people of the society, especially, the mentally ill and wandering destitute. Snehalaya works to rehabilitate these people, many of whom have been separated from their families. They also try and trace the families of their inmates so that the families can be made whole again.