JOIN USDestiny had separated them in 1988, but Google and Facebook united them after 24 years.
This sums up the story of a family based in Khandwa, around 200 km from Bhopal.
Sheru, now Shaaru Brali, was separated from his family at the age of six while returning home along with his elder brother Guddu, who used to sell tea in trains at Burhanpur station, and another brother Kallu (Salim).
“While coming back to Khandwa from Burhanpur, Guddu fell from the train while Sheru was asleep inside. I reached Khandwa, but Sheru remained in the train and reached Kolkata,” Kallu said.
Sheru was caught at the Kolkata railway station by a gang of beggars who forced him to join them. He later managed to escape from their clutches and came in contact with a fisherman’s family which handed him over to Navjeevan Sanstha, an NGO which took care of orphaned kids, Kallu said.
An Australian couple adopted Sheru, took him to Australia and renamed him Shaaru Brali. He did his Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) and joined the family’s agriculture business.
The advent of Internet proved to be a boon for Sheru as he started searching for Brahmapur on Google and Facebook and later came to know the exact name, Burhanpur. With the help of Google maps, Sheru traced the location of his house in Ganesh Talai area of Khandwa and reached the town on February 12. A childhood photograph helped him to reunite with his family members but language was the biggest barrier-Sheru spoke only English while his family members were conversant in Hindi only.
Sheru, after spending nearly 10-12 days with his family, returned to Australia with a promise to come back soon.