HASSAN: In a rare incident, a man who went missing 22 years ago, returned to his parents on Tuesday.
Thanks to the Covid pandemic, Shekar, who had left home when he was 16, got back to the family.
Tears rolled down as his parents, Rajegowda and Akkayamma, who are farmers, as Shekar walked back into their house at Hongere village in Hassan taluk.
The couple, who had searched desperately for their only son, had given hope after one year, thinking that he had died. They were convinced when he did not attend his sister’s wedding and also the housewarming ceremony decades ago.
Rajegowda and Akkayamma had worked hard to give good education to Shekar, but he ran away from home without any reason when he was studying Class 7. Rajegowda had visited many places and spent thousands of rupees looking for his son before concluding that he had died.
Shekar said there was no reason why he left the house. He took up several jobs in different parts of the state and also Mumbai. He started a small business, but lost money. When the situation started turning grim again with the second Covid wave and a likelihood of another lockdown, he decided to return home.
Rajegowda, who is now 61, said that thanks to Covid, their son returned to the family.