NGO reunites mentally ill man with family after 18 yrs

Lakhan and his family members pose for a group photo with Chamtse society members in Leh.
Lakhan and his family members pose for a group photo with Chamtse society members in Leh.

Excelsior Correspondent

LEH, Jan 13: NGO Chamtse has reunited a mentally ill man with his family after 18 years.
To celebrate the reunion moment the NGO organised a function in which LAHDC Deputy Chairman, Director Health Ladakh, Senior Superintendent of Police, religious leaders and many others were present.
Lakhan went missing from his home 18 years back when his wife was pregnant.
As per his wife he was suffering from mental illness and went missing from Ludhiana and no one could actually tell since how long has Lakhan been living in a narrow lane of Chandu Bazaar, Leh but it was hard for anyone walking through that road not to notice him.
Shopkeepers around the market said he has been living there for about 10 years.
The restaurants around Chandu Bazaar offer him daily meals.
About 6 months back, members of NGO, Chamtse noticed him and decided to take care of him.
President of the NGO, Dr. Padma Angmo said he needed treatment but there were many hindrances like taking consent from authorities for starting his medication, non-availability of any facility to shelter him etc.
With his medication, he gradually started showing some improvement. Member of the NGO Angdu, Chandus and Diskit gave him medicines and food while he continued to live on footpath. About one month back, one of the members Stanzin noticed him crawling on the road in pain.
The member, Phunstog, Konchok, Jimmy and Tamchos immediately took him to the hospital where X-Ray showed that he had fractured his heel bone.
During one of the hospital visits, he was able to tell the name of his village and other details.
Chamtse members searched for someone who could translate his language and found one ITBP personnel serving in Ladakh.
On January 1, 2022, during his hospital visit, both of them talked in Awadhi and Lakhan told his details including his village name etc.
With all that information his family was traced and process of reuniting him with his family started and finally the patient’s wife accompanied by a relative reached Leh and took him back to his native place Banaras.