Viral Video Of Man Singing Reunites Him With His Family After 40 Years Apart
Gambhir was believed to have gone into a depressive state after his marriage fell apart.
By Katrina Khairul Azman — 20 Apr 2018, 01:12 PM
In 1978, when he was 26 years old, Khomdram Gambhir Singh left his home in Imphal, Manipur after separating from his wife. His family has not heard from him in four decades.
Gambhir, a former soldier in the Indian army, was believed to have gone into a depressive state after his marriage fell apart, reported BBC.
Then, in October last year, a video of a man singing a popular Bollywood song in Mumbai was uploaded on YouTube. In it, he identifies himself as Khomdram Gambhir Singh of Manipur.
After a viewer who had seen the video notified a local association in Imphal, Gambhir's family were informed. They recognised the now 66-year-old and contacted the police, who then spoke to their counterparts in Mumbai, reported Straits Times.
"I could not believe my eyes when one of my nephews showed me the video footage. We had lost all hope of seeing him alive again," said his brother, Kulachandra.
They eventually tracked Gambhir down to the suburb of Bandra, where he was living rough.
According to the man who shot and uploaded the video on YouTube, Gambhir had been a construction labourer before he started drinking
"He was making money as a beggar singing old Hindi songs," Mumbai-based street photographer Firoze Shakir told AFP.
Yesterday, 19 April, Imphal officers flew to Mumbai to bring Gambhir home and reunite him with his long-lost family
"This is something that has happened accidentally but I am hoping this video touches hearts," Firoze told AFP.
"This story is a ray of hope. If a video can change a man's life there can be no bigger miracle than this," he added.
The parties involved have taken to social media to express their pride in being a part of the reunion