The WhatsApp Message That Came 16 Years Late

A man holds a mobile phone in a visual reconstruction of the search that reunited Ramesh Ganjhu with his family. (Digital Illustration: GoBeyondLocal)

The WhatsApp Message That Came 16 Years Late

Ramesh Ganjhu left his home in Chatra, Jharkhand, after a family dispute. He did not return.

His wife, Munna Devi, was left with their two young sons. The family searched for him, but no news came about where he had gone.

Sixteen years passed. Ramesh was in Chennai, while his family lived in Jharkhand without knowing his whereabouts.

A WhatsApp message finally connected the two sides.

Ramesh was a daily-wage worker from Benti village under Tandwa block in Chatra district. His two sons were still young when he left home.

His disappearance left Munna Devi raising the boys without knowing whether Ramesh was alive or where he had gone. The family searched for information about him, but no useful lead reached them.

Life after leaving Jharkhand took Ramesh through different cities. Reports said he struggled with mental health problems and substance dependence during those years.

His circumstances eventually led him to Chennai, where he was living on the streets. His family had no way of knowing that he was in the same city as one of his sons.

On June 16, 2026, volunteers from the Chennai-based organisation Udavum Karangal found Ramesh in Poonamallee.

They took him to a rehabilitation centre, where he received care. As his condition improved, some memories returned. He was able to say that he came from Jharkhand.

That information gave the volunteers a place to start. They looked for people who might recognise him or know how to contact relatives in Jharkhand.

A photograph of Ramesh and information about him were shared through WhatsApp groups. The details passed from one person to another until they reached someone who recognised the man.

The photograph eventually reached a shopkeeper in Jharkhand who recognised Ramesh. He knew how to contact the family and passed the information along.

For Munna Devi and her children, the message carried news they had waited years to receive: Ramesh was alive and was in Chennai.

One of Ramesh Ganjhu's sons had grown up and moved to Chennai for work.

The son was living only a few kilometres from the rehabilitation centre where his father had been staying. Father and son had spent years apart, yet they were living in the same city without knowing it.

The son had been five years old when Ramesh left home. Sixteen years later, he travelled within Chennai to meet his father as an adult.

Arrangements were made for the two to see each other after the family received confirmation that Ramesh had been located.

The reunion took place within hours of the family receiving the news. A father who had left Jharkhand when his son was a small child was now sitting with the grown man his son had become.

The years between those two meetings included the boy's childhood, adolescence and eventual move to another state for work.

Ramesh went back to Jharkhand on June 21. His return ended the 16-year separation from the family he had left behind.

For Munna Devi and the two sons, the man who had disappeared from their lives was home again.