14 years of waiting at orphanage comes to an end: Appu reunites with his father

KOLLAM: Appu's 14-year wait has paid off. He got back his father, whom he had lost at three. Now this seventeen-year-old has to find his mother. 14 years ago, a deaf and mute woman had left her son at the Karunyatheeram shelter in Eravipuram. She wrote a note to the nun there requesting them to look after her child, as she was in no condition to keep the child at home. She also handed over her son's birth certificate. He grew up in the loving shadow of Karunyatheeram. His mother, who lived in a shelter, used to come and cuddle Appu from time to time. Eventually, she stopped visiting.

When Appu was six years old, he was shifted to the shelter home in Nooranad, Alappuzha and enrolled in school. Whenever Appu reached Karunyatheeram for vacation, the first thing he would do was to ask if his mother or father had come looking for him. Appu was sure that they would come. After passing the SSLC, he was handed over to the Kollam Child Welfare Committee.

The intervention of Child Welfare Committee Chairman Sanil Vellimon is what led to the discovery of the father. Sanil questioned Appu, who was sitting depressed at the Kollam Children's Home. Efforts were made to find Appu's parents. The Children's Home Superintendent and staff visited the shelters with Appu. Finally, Appu's birth certificate was found at the Nooranad centre. It contained an address in Kulathupuzha, Kollam, and the name of Appu's father.

Search for Mother

The Child Welfare Committee officials found Appu's father using the address on the birth certificate - R. Balakrishnan, Puthenveetil, Charuvila, Sam Nagar, Kulathupuzha. When the information was reported, the father and his sisters rushed to Kollam. The father called him "Appu..." and hugged him. Balakrishnan took his son home. Balakrishnan, a labourer, said that he had been looking for his son and his wife for a long time. Now, efforts are underway by Balakrishnan to find his wife.