NGO backed by former Vice Prez Venkaiah Naidu reunites boy with family after 14 yrs
NGO backed by former Vice Prez Venkaiah Naidu reunites boy with family after 14 yrs
Nellore , Former Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu-backed NGO, Swarna Bharat Trust , has facilitated the reunion of a lost boy, with his family from Uttar Pradesh after 14 years.
The Nellore-based NGO, led by Managing Trustee Deepa Venkat, helped reunite Neeraj, with his father, Punvas Kannaujia, from Baragaon, Uttar Pradesh, on Holi .
"Punvas Kannaujia of Baragaon, Uttar Pradesh, and his family have been reunited with their son Neeraj, who went missing 14 years ago. This reunion was made possible by the benevolent efforts of Deepa Venkat, Managing Trustee of SBT," the NGO said in a release on Thursday.
An eight-year-old Neeraj, now around 21, was found by Gudur railway police after wandering away from his family’s care in Mumbai.
According to the NGO, Neeraj’s father had moved to Mumbai in search of a livelihood with his two sons, Neeraj and Dheeraj, leaving his wife and daughters in their native village in Uttar Pradesh.
Neeraj frequently pleaded with his father to take him around Mumbai, but Kannaujia refused, explaining that the metropolis was too vast and unfamiliar for them to explore freely, unlike their village.
Driven by wanderlust, the young boy ignored his father’s warnings and secretly boarded a local train in Mumbai one day, slipping away from home, the NGO said.
What began as an adventurous train ride turned into a two-month-long journey across various states until Neeraj eventually arrived in Gudur, Nellore district. There, the railway police found him and entrusted his care to SBT.
At SBT’s Bridge School, which supports school dropouts from poor families, orphans, and children of single parents, Venkat personally oversaw Neeraj’s education and skill development.
He completed his schooling and was also trained in plumbing, electrical repairs, driving, and automobile maintenance.
As time passed, SBT made several attempts to locate Neeraj’s family based on the limited information he could recall.
On the eve of Holi, Venkat sent Neeraj, accompanied by a senior SBT employee, to East Malad, Mumbai, to search for his family.
After multiple efforts and inquiries with shopkeepers, juice vendors, bakery workers, barbers, and even the local police, they finally managed to contact his family in Uttar Pradesh through a barber.
A series of emotional video calls followed, filled with tears of joy as family members recognised Neeraj.
Venkat then arranged for Neeraj’s travel from Mumbai to Baragaon, where he was reunited with his family. As he stepped out of the airport, his loved ones embraced him, overwhelmed with joy after 14 years of separation.
Overjoyed by the reunion, the Kannaujia family invited Venkat to their home in Baragaon.
Accompanied by an SBT team, she visited the village to celebrate the emotional homecoming, the NGO added.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
