Twenty-four years ago, David Durairaj, 55, left Kovilpatti and his wife Mahalakhmi, two-year-old daughter and a newborn son. He was presumed dead by the family. He left a few days after his wife died while giving birth to the boy, who was named Karthik.
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A week ago, he was found in Tambaram by the Kaval Karangal wing of the Chennai police and taken to a Greater Chennai Corporation shelter run by the NGO Anbagam on the premises of the Communicable Diseases Hospital, Tondiarpet.
According to Rafiya, the shelter’s manager, David’s sister-in-law and husband will take him home soon. When David arrived at Anbagam, he had been given clothes and his beard shaved by the police. He had a light depression and it was only after a few days that he began to speak clearly. This is how they were able to locate and contact his family. However, his son Karthik is unwilling to communicate or even see his father as he blames him for his mother’s death. He has heard from family members that his father would beat his mother.
Karthik says even if his father returns to Kovilpatti, he will not make an attempt to meet him. According to Rafiya, David seems positive that his children will meet him. Through conversations with David, Rafiya understood that he wanted to come to Chennai to become successful and never returned to Kovilpatti as he had not achieved anything yet.
“In most cases, families are not willing to take back the person and so this reunion makes everyone at the NGO very happy”, said Rafiya.