Anjaneya Tewari, Chandigarh : The dedicated and selfless efforts of social worker Subhash Chandra Sharma, a retired Secretary of the Haryana Legislative Assembly, have once again brought immense happiness to a family by reuniting them with a loved one after a painful 13-year separation.
Shanti, who had been residing at the Chandigarh branch of the All India Pingalwara Charitable Society since 2013, was finally reunited with her family following Sharma’s persistent humanitarian efforts to trace missing and separated persons.
A Decade in the Ashram
According to the Pingalwara Society, Shanti was found by the Paonta Sahib Police in Himachal Pradesh in 2013. Discovered in a severely distressed condition and wandering on the roadside with no one to look after her, she was unable to provide clear information about her origins. The police subsequently completed the necessary legal formalities and arranged for her accommodation at the Pingalwara Ashram in Chandigarh.
During her prolonged stay at the ashram, Shanti received proper medical treatment and care for her mental health condition. While she was initially irritable and short-tempered, her behavior gradually stabilized. However, whenever the ashram’s counseling team asked about her family, she would tearfully state that she could not remember anything about her past.
The Breakthrough in Counseling
Subhash Chandra Sharma, who has been actively engaged in tracing the families of individuals living in various shelters across Amritsar, Sangrur, and Chandigarh, decided to make another determined attempt to help Shanti.
During an initial session, Shanti again became highly emotional, claiming memory loss. Refusing to give up, Sharma sought an emotional trigger, gently telling her, “A mother may forget many things, but she can never forget the names of her children.”
The words struck a deep chord. Shanti finally recalled and disclosed the names of her sons, noting that they were engaged in farming. When asked where they cultivated their land, she recalled the village name “Khuni Nangla” and a neighboring village named “Kaval.”
Following the Trail to Uttar Pradesh
Initial efforts to locate a village named Khuni Nangla proved unsuccessful. However, Sharma’s further investigation revealed that Kaval village is located in the Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh. Upon contacting locals in Kaval, Sharma learned that a nearby village, currently known as Nangla Mubarak, was formerly referred to as Khuni Nangla.
Following further inquiries, Shanti’s family was successfully identified in Nangla Mubarak, and the long-awaited reunion was made possible in 2026.
Sharma, who has dedicated himself to this humanitarian service since his retirement in 2018, has remarkably traced the families of more than 2,400 people separated from their loved ones, proving that compassionate counseling and persistent effort can restore hope to those who need it most.
