Bhagalpur: Nearly 15 years back, at the age of 11, Sagar Mandal mysteriously disappeared from his village Maheshpur Deori under Banshipur Panchayat of Bihar while returning home from the fields. His mother Jhajhi Devi, who had no clue about his whereabouts, waited for almost five years, until she began to lose hopes of his return. She finally performed Sagar's last rites rituals, accepting the 'truth' that he is no more and would never come back.
Ten years later, the entire village saw a reunion of the ages when Sagar returned into the arms of her mother, a miracle made possible because of the efforts of the West Bengal Radio Club and Ham Radio operators.
The Reunion
After Sagar vanished suddenly, Jhajhi Devi along with other family members and villagers tried everything possible to trace him, but to no avail.
It was in 2020 that Ambrish Nag Biswas, secretary of the West Bengal Radio Club, an organisation of people associated with Ham Radio, came to know about Sagar. Then, Sagar had completely lost his mental balance and was not in a state of mind to speak anything about him. But gradually, as days and months passed, he revealed a few things which proved just enough to locate his family.
In a telephonic conversation with ETV Bharat, Biswas said, "The first thing that Sagar uttered is that that he had been living near Dhulagarh Truck Terminal in Howrah district of West Bengal for last several years. But this came after months of counselling."
On how they heard of Sagar's case, Biswas narrated, "In 2019, when Sagar suffered serious injuries after being hit by a truck, Jagdish Jana, a local, rushed him to the hospital. Post treatment, when locals and social organisations tried to find out his details, Sagar could not recall his name or his native place. All their efforts turned futile."
"In 2020, when we got to know about Sagar, our Ham Radio members went to him and tried to talk to him. They asked him his name and address, but he was unable to recall anything. This continued for months. Still, we never gave up," Biswas told ETV Bharat.
"Sagar Mandal was not in a position to talk. Gradually he was treated at the Howrah Government Hospital. Five years later, in 2025, social worker Asha Manjhi somehow managed to get a few things out from his memory. A ray of hope finally emerged when Sagar revealed his name, address and the name of his neighboring village. The details led the volunteers to Sagar's village Banshipur in Kahalgaon of Bhagalpur district. There, they reached out to the local authorities, and through them to his family," the club secretary said.
"When our volunteers met his mother, at first, she refused to believe that her son is alive. 'He is no more,' Jhajhi Devi told them. They then showed her Sagar's photographs, audio recordings, and even local police joined us to convince her that her son might truly be alive. 'Why not just go once and see,' said police and she managed to come along to Howrah.
As soon as she saw her son at the Howrah Government Hospital, she broke down, and said, "My son, you have finally come back."
Thanks to the West Bengal Radio Club and Ham Radio volunteers, that hospital staffers and some villagers witnessed an emotional reunion at the hospital. Happiness knew no bounds for Jhajhi Devi who held her son tightly this time to never let him go again. "After my husband passed away in a lightning strike, I raised both my sons. Suddenly one day, Sagar disappeared. Now after 15 years, he has returned. I still can't believe it,” said Sagar's mother, with tears in her eyes.
When the radio club found out that she had no money to return to their village, they arranged for their return from West Bengal, and covered all necessary expenses. "For us, this (ham radio) is an emotional service, not just any technology. When a mother gets back her lost son, that for us is true success," said Biswas.
Sagar's nephew Prahlad Mandal, who was a young kid back then, recalled how he watched his uncle playing in the fields. "He is back after so many years. Everyone in the family is filed with joy," he said.
Even villagers couldn't believe what they just saw. "We had performed his pind-daan thinking that he was dead. Seeing him alive after so many years is nothing short of a miracle," said a villager.
Sagar is now 26 years old, but is still battling years of mental trauma. Doctors hope he will soon recover if he stays with family and his loving mother.
What Is Ham Radio?
Ham Radio is a licensed radio service, and used for non-commercial communication, mainly during disasters like floods, earthquakes, storm. When all means of communication fail, Ham Radio comes to the rescue. Run by amateur operators, Ham Radio helps one directly contact another person who has Ham Radio, irrespective of how remote the place is. Ham radio is governed by special rules during disasters, which are controlled by the Wireless Planning and Coordination Wing under the Ministry of Communications in India. The operator helps in communicating with handheld radio sets through amateur satellite. This time, it played an extra ordinary role in reuniting a mother with her lost son, presumed dead.
