Mokama: A man who disappeared from his home at the age of nine and returned after 33 years has become the centre of attention in Hathidah village in Bihar’s Mokama block. Known as Chusna when he was a child and now called Sujit Singh, his story of hardship and survival has surprised the entire community.
Sujit’s life changed when he lost his mother at just one year old. Villagers say that after her death, people around him filled his heart with anger towards his stepmother. His father, struggling to earn a living, could not stop these misunderstandings from growing. By the age of nine, the young boy felt so unhappy that he clung to the back of a truck and left home, eventually reaching Deoghar.
From there, he drifted from place to place. He travelled to Banaras, Kolkata and Assam, surviving by knocking on doors and asking for small jobs. His life took a new direction when he reached Uttarakhand. There, he worked as a welder and began living as Sujit Singh, the son of Nathu Lal from Dehradun. Over time, he settled into this new life, but his memories of home never fully disappeared.
Five days ago, while travelling to Begusarai to attend a friend’s daughter’s wedding, Sujit stopped at Hathidah station. As he stood on the platform, memories from his childhood came rushing back. He decided to visit his village once again, hoping to reunite with his family after more than three decades.
However, the reunion was not easy. The villagers did not recognise him, and even his own parents refused to believe he was the same boy who had gone missing. Sujit struggled to prove his identity. It was only when the daughter of one of his old acquaintances persuaded his father, Awadhesh Singh, that the truth finally came to light.
Today, Sujit’s return has become a major topic of discussion in Hathidah. His journey—from losing his mother, to wandering across states, to building a new life far away—has moved everyone. For the villagers, his story feels like something out of a film, but for Sujit, it is the real story of survival, loss and finally finding his way home after 33 long years.
