In lockdown, man finds his way back home, 14 years after he left

NOIDA: It was a reunion 14 years in the making, aided by the lockdown.
Sarvesh Sharma had left his nondescript village of Beenpur Kalan in Kasganj in search of better prospects. There was a bigger world out there and that was where he wanted to be. He was 16 then, he is 30 now.
While he took up odd jobs across cities — in Delhi, in Mumbai, in a tea shop at Neemuch in Madhya Pradesh — his father, Rakesh Kumar, was diagnosed with asthma, his brothers Gresh and Shiv Shankar died before they crossed their teens and his three sisters got married.Sarvesh, who went by Monu, did not know. But as the Covid-hit world and its opportunities shrunk, Monu made his way home, via many a detour.
The story of his journey back home begins with the lockdown. Monu managed to reach Yamuna Expressway from Delhi, like scores of migrant workers. He was taken to Sanskar Guest House, a quarantine facility in Jewar tehsil for migrant workers. He was among 70 people there. After 40 days in quarantine, 58 of them left for their towns and villages. Monu stayed put.
“He does not talk a lot, keeps to himself. He would rarely respond to our questions. As part of procedure, we take a copy of the Aadhaar cards of those in quarantine. But Monu would not share his. He seems to be in trauma and could be suffering from neurological disorder. So we did not pressure him,” said Jewar tehsildar Durgesh Singh. Officials later said he had left home with some of his documents, like ration card, and got his PAN card and Aadhaar card based on that.
Shivkumar, the caretaker at the facility, would show Hindi cartoons on the phone to keep him engaged. But earlier this week, administrative officials started discussions about closing it down. Eleven of the 12 were from Bihar. He was the only one from Uttar Pradesh. State governments were seeking lists of stranded migrant workers so they could be brought home. On Wednesday, after Shivkumar talked him through it, Monu gave his Aadhaar card to the authorities.
They got in touch with the station house officer of Amapur police station in Kasganj. The information was accurate. His parents, Rakesh and Guddu, had filed a missing report ages ago. Monu was dropped off on Thursday with a relief kit — grains, rice, oil and spices. While the couple or Monu could not be reached, a neighbour said the entire village stepped out to welcome him. “We had not seen him for years. When he had left, he was alright. He wanted to earn, make it big,” said Sulesh Singh Fauji, a retired Army personnel who lives next door.
“The family was so happy. They have nothing, but they distributed sugar and jaggery in celebration on Thursday."