(Left) Gujalla Prasad, a 40-year-old man rescued by Thanjavur District Collector Priyanka Pankajam and reunited with his family after 13 years. Right: A photo of Prasad before he left his home in Anantapur district, Andhra Pradesh.
Thanjavur: In a heartwarming incident, a mentally ill person was reunited with his parents after 13 years. The man was rescued by Thanjavur District Collector Priyanka Pankajam. It is learnt that Thanjavur District Collector Priyanka Pankajam is paying special attention to the welfare of the mentally challenged. She rescues them, arranges for treatment and makes arrangements for their rehabilitation. Accordingly, while going to many parts of the district for work, she is helping mentally-ill people, who are found on the roads, to get them rescued and rehabilitated through the department concerned.
According to the press release issued by the District Collectorate, on September 8, District Collector Priyanka went to Boothalur taluk where he found a 40-year-old man, who was mentally ill at Pudhupatti on the Boothalur Sengipatti road. Immediately, with the help of the Indian Red Cross Society, he was rescued and admitted to the Rehabilitation Centre for the Mentally Ill at Thanjavur Raja Mirasudar Hospital. Officials at the rescue centre also provided proper treatment to the man.
Speaking to ETV Bharat, engineer Muthukumar, Thanjavur District Vice-Chairman of the Indian Red Cross Society, said, "When he was admitted to the Emergency Treatment and Recovery Centre for Mentally Ill People, he was not in the mood to speak. Medicines were given as per the advice of a psychiatrist. He could not be given regular counselling as he spoke in Telugu. "
"We took the help of Lenin Bharti, a nurse at Government Raja Mirasudar Hospital, due to her knowledge of Telugu. It took a month of treatment before the man disclosed his hometown and father's name. With that information, we reported it to the police station in Anantapur district, Andhra Pradesh.
They informed that the village is under the jurisdiction of Bukkarayasamudram Police Station and based on that, the police station was asked to investigate and report the details of this person. Based on that, the police gave details about his village and his parents.
A few days later, Mani from Dindigul district, who operated a food shop in the Bukkarayasamudram area of Andhra Pradesh, reached out to us. Engineer Muthukumar explained the situation to Mani in Tamil. Based on this, Mani travelled to Thanjavur with his parents and relatives.
On October 16, the Collector handed over Gujalla Prasad to his parents in Thanjavur. When the parents saw their son, they embraced him with tears in their eyes. The family and relatives expressed their gratitude to the Thanjavur District Collector for reuniting them with their son. Furthermore, the Collector also gave sweets and a new dress to Prasad.
