2 days ago
10
ARTICLE AD BOX
3 min readRanchiFeb 19, 2026 06:24 AM IST
In 2012, six-year-old Raja Gope from Jharkhand’s Chaibasa was headed to Howrah, West Bengal, with his father for brick kiln work. Instead, he was separated from his father and boarded the wrong train that took him to Kerala.
Fourteen years later, Raja Gope, now 22 and no longer a boy, is set to reunite with his family, thanks to the intervention of activists.
This month, Gope will meet his family. According to Fardeen Khan, a Jharkhand project programme lead with the non-profit Railway Children, Gope boarded a train that brought him to Ernakulam, Kerala, where he was rescued by activists and placed in a shelter home.
“He remembered only the name of his hometown, Chaibasa, the first names of his parents, and the names of some other family members, but not the exact location of his village,” said Khan.
It was when Gope moved to Kannur under the Kerala Child Welfare Committee’s (CWC) skill development and rehabilitation programme that the wheels began to turn for his reunion with family. Soon, local activists in Kannur put him in touch with Khan, who helped circulate a video of Gope in Jharkhand’s Chaibasa.
By the time the video reached the Gope family in Harimara village in West Singhbhum district, much had changed. Raja’s father died four years ago, leaving the family – his wife Mani and their surviving children to fend for themselves as daily wage labourers.
So, when the family learnt that Raja was alive, they were overjoyed but it was tinged with regret. “I’m very happy that my son is alive and will return home. I would have been happier if my husband were alive today to see his son,” she said.
Story continues below this ad
An official from the Jharkhand Women and Child Development (WCD) Department said they are coordinating with the Kerala WCD department and that the family will reunite after some paperwork is completed.
“Efforts are being made to bring the boy back to Jharkhand and link him to rehabilitation schemes,” MD Shamim, a member of the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) in Chaibasa, said. “The first step would be to complete the transfer process. After the transfer, we will try to link him with the After Care scheme and skill training programmes,” Shamim added.
Shubham Tigga is a Correspondent at The Indian Express, presently based in Pune, where he covers the intersections of infrastructure, labor, and the modern economy. His reporting focuses on civil aviation, urban mobility, the gig economy, and workers' unions, providing critical insights into how transit and commercial sectors impact the daily lives of citizens. Expertise & Background Before moving to Pune, he reported extensively from his home state of Chhattisgarh, where he focused on Indigenous (Adivasi) issues, environmental justice, and grassroots struggles in mainland India. This experience gives him a unique lens through which he analyzes the impact of large-scale infrastructure projects on local communities. Academic Foundation He is an alumnus of the prestigious Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), where he honed his skills in investigative reporting and ethical journalism. His academic training, combined with his field experience in Central India, allows him to navigate complex socio-economic landscapes with nuance and accuracy. You can reach out to him on LinkedIn ... Read More
Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
English (US) ·