Deaf-mute Kerala woman finds her Mumbai home

After 22 years of having zero clues of the whereabouts of her family and home the efforts being put by deaf and mute Maria alias Amina and her husband Rodymon Varghese Kerala residents into locating them somewhat came to fruitionmidday had highlighted the couples mission to locate 36yearold Aminas family and Mumbai home from where she had gone missing as a kid Amina eventually ended up 1540 km away in Idukki Kerala and is now married with six children During her visit last week Amina identified the exact spot in the Kamal Amrohi Studio in Jogeshwari where as a child shed sat to watch the shooting of a film starring Amir KhanShe also recognised a relatives house in Ansari Mohalla behind Gausiya Masjid in Andheri West In addition the area of Aminas childhood home looks nothing like the sketch she drew from memoryAmina in a garden at Kamal Amrohi Studio at the spot from where she saw the shoot of a film starring Amir Khan in 1994The couple visited Mumbai last week after the Malayalee Welfare Association Jogeshwari E offered to help them look for Aminas childhood home based on what she remembered of the areaThe networkingMalayalee Welfare Associations vice president Srinivas Unnithan and a committee member Sridharan Nair accompanied Amina and Rodymon on their journey We were touched by the story and since it mentioned Fantasy Land which used to be in our locality we were sure that by the description given in the paper we would be able to help the couple in some way We were also touched by her husband Rodymons support for her Unnithan saidAmina and Rodymon at the chabbil with the residents of Ansari Mohalla behind Gausiya MasjidWe asked Rodymon to come to Mumbai They were put up in a guest house All 150 families which are part of the association helped them in every way possible said NairThe couple came with their youngest daughter oneandahalfyearold Mikaal and close friend Roy Mathew who runs a stationary shop and is a social worker in Idukki Roy had also accompanied Rodymon to meet Akele Tum Akele Hum director Mansoor Khan at his Conoor residence to confirm if a part of the movie was shot at Fantasy LandBased on Aminas sketch and the landmark of Fantasy Land the group began their search in JogeshwariAmina her husband Rodymon in white Roy Mathew in green with Srinivas Unnithan L and Sridharan Nair R and of the Malyali Welfare Association Jogeshwari EDay OneOn Thursday November 5 they visited what used to be Fantasy Land but is now a multilevel residential complexAmina was not able to recall anything What she remembered was watching Amir Khan on a ride with the child actor who played his son in 1994 said UnnithanThey then moved to a small municipal garden she remembered vaguely Today the garden has been replaced by Shahid Vijay Salaskar Udyan This too didnt jog her memory The third destination a few metres away Kamal Amrohi Studio was the turning point mdash Amina got excited to see the studios entrance and walked inside while others followed herAmina shows the place where her house used to be A building has come up there nowShe took us straight to a garden on the right side and led us to a huge tree bearing the number 261 She sat on the concrete structure around it and was in tears This was where she sat to watch Akele Hum Akele Tum being shot said Rodymon The group visited Powai Garden next as according to Amina her home had been 30 minutes away from the studio and airplanes in the sky used to look huge The search was called off in the eveningDay TwoArmed with a fresh set of clues the group set out again on Friday We were certain that her house must have been near the airport and visited places such as Asalfa Sakinaka Mograpada in Andheri but there was no headway Aminas sketch also did not match any of the locations said UnnithanIn the evening weary and on the verge of giving up the group decided to try their luck at Gilbert Hill in Andheri West As their vehicle came neared the location an excited Amina made them haltAmina inside a house in Ansari Mohalla where her relatives used to liveWe made enquiries about all our clues and Amina led us to Anasari Mohalla behind Gausiya Masjid located near Gilbert Hill She led us to a house which was her relatives Once inside the house she could remember her childhood She then took everyone to the nearby Chabbil where she used to light a diya and cried inconsolably said Rodymon Her relatives the group was told sold the place and moved out a long time agoThe first houseAmina told Rodymon that a house close to the Chabbil was her first house and the sketch she had made was of her second house With the help of the locals Rodymon also learnt about a lady named Habiba Ibrahim Shah who used to provide children as extras for film shoots Habiba is now 70 and bedridden Amina met Habiba but neither of them remembered having known each other Amina was certain that she had not met her before said UnnithanDay ThreeOn Saturday Amina again visited all the locations and made a final attempt to find her parents or siblings She was sure that she resided in Gilbert Hill and was confident of meeting her family or relativesIn the past 25 years the city has changed a lot It is a miracle Amina was able to find whatever she did These memories will stay with her forever and she can tell her six children about her roots said UnnithanNair raised the concern about identifying the relatives after such a long gap They too should have the willingness to accept that it is their Amina And the question over who will help identify them remainsHowever Rodymon remains determined Helping Maria reach her parents or siblings will make me more than happy At the moment this is my only mission in lifeBack at home mdash KeralaFilled with revived memories of her childhood and renewed hope of finding her family Amina left for Kerala on Sunday Amina remains excited about last weeks events and is hopeful about finding her family said Rodymon after they reached home on Tuesday The couple has taken the contacts of a few residents from Ansari Mohalla who have assured to help them If need be we shall visit Mumbai again to look for Aminas family Had it not been for the Malayalee Welfare Association we would never have been able to locate her relatives place and the Chabbil We are indebted to them said RodymonDec 5Day Amina and Rodymon arrived in MumbaiCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates