Odisha: Woman, who 'lost her way' in 2004, reunites with family after 19 years; remarries husband

In a remarkable turn of events, Urmila Parida, a resident of Bhachchandpur village in Nischintakoili block, Cuttack, Odisha, who was missing for nearly two decades, reunited with her family and also remarried her husband.

Cuttack: A woman miraculously reunited with her family and remarried her husband 19 years after she went missing from a village in Odisha.

Urmila Parida, a resident of Bhachchandpur village in Nischintakoili block in Cuttack, went missing in 2004, leaving her loved ones desperate for answers. That year, Urmila, according to her family, had left home intending to visit her nephew but lost her way. Despite extensive efforts by family members and relatives to locate her, she remained elusive.

However, a recent turn of events led to the miraculous discovery of the missing woman. The information about the woman surfaced from a tweet that said that a woman was lying helpless outside the SBI ATM counter in Tigira town. Immediately after that the members of Shiv Shankar, the founder of Shrimandir Sebasram in Kurunti village reached the ATM counter in Tigiriya, Ashtgarh and brought Urmila to their Ashram.

She received care and assistance for a month and a half, during which she gradually regained her memories and was able to recall her own name and her mother's name. A video capturing Urmila's journey of recovery was recorded and shared on social media by the institution.

"A person tweeted about a woman lying helpless outside the SBI ATM counter in Tigira town and filed a grievance case against the state government. The state government instructed the district collector who in turn informed the BDO and the BSSO to take care of the woman. Our members also reached the spot and rescued the woman,” Shiv Shankar Das, founder of Sevashram of NY Shrimandir, said.

Remarkably, Urmila's family members came across the video and were able to identify her. Overwhelmed with joy and relief, they immediately contacted Sevashram to confirm her identity. After a separation of nearly two decades, Urmila was finally reunited with her family. The emotional reunion occurred within the Jagannath temple's premises in Kurang Gham, under the jurisdiction of Cuttack Sadar police station.

“Her reunion with the family brought tears to everyone’s eyes. Her husband married her again in front of Lord Jagannath. It was really heart-warming and we are really happy that we became a part of this reunion story,” a member of the Ashram said.

Urmila’s disappearance had created some permanent wounds in the family. Her daughter Dunakini, having already left home and her son, Jagbandhu is also not found. The reunification of Urmila will surely mend some of the wounds but the future can only say whether it will be able to heal all the lesions.