Solapur lensman’s reel reunites Mumbai-based mother and son

Mumbai man reunites with missing mother after a year, thanks to viral social media reel by Solapur photographer Shivaji Dhute capturing her at a pilgrimage

MUMBAI: On Ashadi Ekadashi, a 34-year-old Mumbai man got the most valuable gift of his life: a reunion with his mother who had been missing for a year. Providing the link was a viral social media reel uploaded by Solapur-based photographer Shivaji Dhute.

Solapur lensman’s reel reunites Mumbai-based mother and son

After the mother left home on account of domestic issues, her son, who did not want to be named, filed a police complaint and searched high and low for her. “I visited all my relatives and various temples too, thinking she might be there but to no avail,” he said. “Then, on Tuesday, a day before Ashadhi Ekadashi, my neighbour shared a reel from Pandharpur with me. He had noticed that a woman in the one-minute clip looked similar to my mother and even recognised her voice.”

When the man saw the reel and was certain that the woman was indeed his mother, he set out to contact the creator. Dhute, a photographer who has been documenting the Ashadhi Wari or pilgrimage from Solapur to Pandharpur for the past five years, had captured the moment unknowingly. “What happened was that on a step known as the Namdev Step, I noticed a boy, 10 or 11 years old, selling plastic cloth to pilgrims to ward off the rain,” said Dhute. “His voice caught my attention and I made the reel to capture his emotion and dedication.”

Dhute said that as he was shooting, a customer approached the boy and asked for three plastic covers. “He didn’t have change for the 200-rupee note she gave him and went to ask a woman sitting nearby,” he said. That lady turned out to be the Mumbai man’s mother.”

The son started out for Pandharpur the same night. “I reached in the morning,” he said. “As it was festival season, there was a huge crowd. Dhute advised me to come after the festival, but I fervently hoped to be reunited with my mother. I went to the temple, took Vitthal Darshan after three hours in a long queue, and finally reached the spot. After another three hours, I saw a woman approaching. It was my mother,” he said with tears in his eyes.

Over the past year, his mother had stayed at a relative’s place before moving to Pandharpur to survive, as the temple trust provides two free meals a day to pilgrims. “I am really thankful to the person who shot this reel and to Lord Vitthal for reuniting me with my lost mother,” said the emotional son.

Dhute, who played a key role in the reunion, said, “I am so happy that my video reunited a son and his mother. I left my job in the IT field to pursue photography full-time. This incident feels like a reward from Lord Vitthal.”