Man missing after 1999 Odisha cyclone reunited with family

Family believes he had a traumatic experience and lost his memory

An octogenarian, presumed killed by the super cyclone that lashed the Odisha coast 23 years ago, has been reunited with his family.

After the cyclone that left over 10,000 people dead in Odisha, Kritichandra Baral landed up in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. He had lost his memory and occupied a portion of a pavement in the port city.

A.J. Stalin, who was then a corporator of Greater Visakhapatnam, took pity on the man and stopped near him every day to provide food.

On hearing Stalin’s car stop, the man would walk up and accept the packet of food before returning to his corner on the pavement. This went on for several years.

Later, Stalin found the man was ill and unable to move. This was in 2012. He then got in touch with the Missionaries of Charity (MOC) and requested them to take care of the man.

“A couple of days ago, I received a call from the MOC …. After an extensive search by tapping into our network, we finally located the Baral family in Patigram, Puri,” he said.

“Baral has three sons. One of them has lost his eyesight. The two others were dumbstruck when they saw their father’s photograph and then started weeping. They are a well-todo family and said their father went missing after the cyclone and was presumed dead,” said Ambarish Nag Biswas, secretary, West Bengal Radio Club.

It is believed that Baral had a traumatic experience during the cyclone and lost his memory. He somehow travelled to Srikakulam and still remembers the name. From there, he landed up in Visakhapatnam as a vagrant.

After the cyclone that left over 10,000 people dead in Odisha, Kritichandra Baral landed up in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.