Indian worker who lost memory in Qatar reunited with parents

A 26-year-old Indian farm worker from Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh, who lost his memory and was paralysed after a lightning strike in Qatar, has been reunited with his family after six months. The Indian Embassy and community organisations in Doha traced his parents and facilitated his repatriation.

By Our Gulf Correspondent

Dubai: An Indian youth who lost his memory and was left paralysed following a lightning strike was finally reunited with his family on Sunday after sustained efforts by the Indian community and diplomats in Qatar.

---

Gopal, 26, hailing from a remote village in Barabanki district of Uttar Pradesh, was admitted to a hospital in Doha in an unconscious state six months ago. He recovered after treatment and was moved to a rehabilitation centre, but has lost his memory, making it difficult to locate his friends and family.

The condition of Gopal was brought to the notice of the Indian Embassy and community workers, his employer was contacted and, through sustained efforts, his parents’ contact details were traced in India.

Gopal was working as a farm labour in Qatar when a thunderstorm and lightning struck him and his family was unaware of his condition and was desperately looking for him in the initial period.

It was a challenging task to not only find the patient’s family but also repatriate him to a remote village in the most populous state of India.

“From Doha to Delhi in an international flight and from Delhi to Lucknow in a domestic flight, from there to accompany him up to his village was a complex issue”, said Rajani Murthy, a social activist and President of the Indian Women Welfare Organisation (IWWO) in Qatar who worked with the Indian Embassy for his repatriation.

She, along with other community organisations Punarjani Association and UPPWA with the help of the Indian Embassy volunteered to provide escort up to his last leg besides arranging some financial aid to support the destitute family.

“The family is so poor that they live in a basic hut and all are illiterate, not being able to read Hindi, which I mentioned on medicine labels for daily usage nor in possession of a mobile phone”, Rajani said.