'Karimganj Today' Facebook page helps a lady in Cachar find her family in Bangladesh

At a time when Facebook pages are under immense attack for allegedly spreading rumours, Sujan Deb Roy and his page Karimganj Today (করিমগঞ্জ টুডে) proves once again that generalisation is not an act of wisdom. On June 21, Deb Roy was told about a lady who is living a nomadic life in Cachar’s Harinagar area. Within two days, the Facebook page using its popularity managed to get in touch with their family in Jessore, Bangladesh.

Sujan Deb Roy is not the only hero of the story. Dhrubojyoti Das Purakayastha a man who has a store in the Harinagar market first spotted the lady during Durga Puja 2019. “She danced well in the tune of Dhak and we realised that she is a local lady who got separated from the family,” said Purkayastha.

The lady started living in a vacant Hospital quarter and used to survive by begging, borrowing, and at times even stealing. “She was not mentally-balanced, often talked foul language and lived a nomadic life, and was never up for any conversation,” informed Purkayastha.

However, earlier this month, one of the days the lady behaved normally. Luckily, Purkayastha was passing her and he stopped. “She told me she wants to go home and like always I asked where do you live. To my surprise, she gave two addresses from Jessore District in Bangladesh,” shared Purkayastha. “She also added that five years back, during a flood she somehow reached India,” he recalled.

Jessore District in Bangladesh shares its borders with Bengal’s Nadia and North 24 Parganas in its West. How the lady reached Silchar five years back is still a mystery but her family has been found.

Purkayastha gave the information to his brother-in-law Sujan Deb Roy. Sujan uploaded a post on Karimganj Today and the dot com world connected him to many relevant people. “I got the number of Jessore district’s superintendent of Police and he verified the address given by the lady. The police officials found the address to be true and we managed to speak with her son and father,” says Sujan Deb Roy, admin of Karimganj Today.

Barak Bulletin spoke with her son and here is what he had to say, “We lost contact with her five years back and she was untraceable. But yesterday, someone from your country (India) and informed us about the matter,” said Joy Mahaldar.

The lady’s name is Puravi Rani Biswas she is the wife of Monotush Mahaldar and resident of Ekatapur under Taltola Post Office in Jessore Bangladesh. Joy Haldar exclaimed with joy, “We are extremely happy, can’t express my emotion in words. My mother has been traced and this is the best news I have ever got. Thank you all in India, now I am ready to do anything to get her back to me.”

The family confirmed that Puravi Rani Biswas has been mentally unstable for a while, however, they have no clue how she crossed the borders.

Her nomadic life might end soon. Bangladesh is a friendly neighbour and Cachar and Jessore administration can surely find a way to unite the families. Several NGOs on both sides of the border are also chalking a plan to bring them together.

Meanwhile, Sujan Deb Roy and Karimganj Today shows it yet again that secret superstars do exist in the world wide web or social media often criticised as mundane.

Here is a video statement of her son uploaded by Karimganj Today.