Man Regains Memory After Hearing The Word “Mahakumbh”; A Sacred Festival Reunited a Family After 15 Years
For over 10 years, Prakash Mahato’s family clung to fading hope, their lives shadowed by his sudden disappearance in 2010. Last week, an ordinary conversation about a sacred pilgrimage rewrote their story. The 52-year-old Jharkhand native, who vanished while en route to his job with the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, finally returned home—his memory sparked by a single word: Mahakumbh.
Mahato had battled mental health struggles before disappearing on May 9, 2010. Despite relentless efforts by Markacho police and his distraught family, years slipped by without a trace. Unknown to them, he’d found refuge 270 kilometers away in Raniganj, West Bengal, where a local hotel operator, Sumit Sao, and his father had sheltered him. Nicknamed “Wrestler” for his quiet strength, Mahato became part of their daily life, working odd jobs and blending into the backdrop of an unfamiliar town.
The breakthrough came unexpectedly. During a discussion about attending the Mahakumbh Mela in Prayagraj, Mahato grew insistent—he, too, needed to go. “His eyes lit up when he mentioned his home was along the route,” Sao recalled. Suspicion piqued, Sao contacted authorities, triggering a chain of calls between Raniganj and Markacho police. Within days, Mahato’s family stood before him, their disbelief dissolving into tears at the police station reunion on January 7.
“For years, we prayed for a miracle. Today, it feels like the Kumbh itself blessed us,” said a relative, echoing the family’s joy. While Mahato’s journey to recovery continues, his story has reignited conversations about mental health, community compassion, and the fragile threads of memory that bind us.
