After living on the streets of Dhaka for five years, the child returned home and got a new life

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Saidul (12) has returned home after spending five years as a street child on the streets of Dhaka. After returning home, he spent the first day with his mother, father, brother, sister, grandfather and grandmother. He played football. ate good food Met relatives and local people who came to see him.

Saidul said on the phone yesterday at eight o’clock on Wednesday night, “I played sports.” I am eating rice and water. Then my father does not have a mobile phone, he is watching cartoons. I don’t have my younger brother Miraj, I am playing with him. Playing football.’

Saidul disappeared from Chittagong in 2021. He was seven years old then. He came to Dhaka by train. On April 10, I met Saidul in Purana Paltan area of ​​the capital while doing a report on street children. He then demanded to return home. I informed the matter to the senior staff in the office. Prothom Alo gave a post about him on their Facebook page last Monday. A relative of Saidul wrote under that post that he knows him. Later he gave the mobile number of Saidul’s family. Saidul’s parents were contacted through him and asked to come to Dhaka.

Saidul’s parents came to Dhaka last Tuesday. They went to Paltan area and found Saidul. He was handed over to his family after formalities at Paltan police station.

Saidul then said that when he came to Dhaka, he started working in an old blacksmith shop due to hunger. Worked on tapping the bottle. People are still asking for help. Shaheed Syed Nazrul Islam lived under a banyan tree in Sarni (Vijaynagar area). A group of street children became his family.

Saidul’s father said. Mustafa Kamal and mother Fatema Akhter took Saidul to their village Chandina in Comilla that day. Saidul’s family members spoke on the phone several times yesterday to know how he is and what he is doing. They said that Saidul reached Comilla at quarter past eight on Tuesday night. Saidul’s uncle came to pick him up with his autorickshaw. Parvez. Seeing Saidul, he hugged him. After that, the people of the area met Saidul, who were stuck in places on the way to Saidul’s house. Saidul chatted with them.

Saidul’s father said, ‘Everyone is happy to see him. Chairman of the area, members who are there, everyone has come. Then my parents fell ill and lost him. They like it now. I am now very happy with Allah.

Saidul’s grandmother Payar Banu spoke to me after taking the phone from Saidul’s father. In the beginning, he started crying profusely. Crying, he said, ‘The grandson I got from you. The liver is cold, father.

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His parents bought clothes for Saidul from Dhaka. They said they could not buy shoes. On reaching Comilla, they bought shoes for Saidul.

Saidul’s mother Fatema said, ‘I am drinking mirror milk at home. After taking a bath, I applied lotion and combed my hair. Then I gave him rice.

Saidul’s parents are scheduled to go to Chittagong today on Thursday. Father works there as auto rickshaw mechanic. Mother works in a garment factory. They will take Saidul to the doctor there.

Saidul’s parents said that they want to keep Saidul in the village house for now. His grandparents wanted him to stay with them in Comilla. Saidul also wants to live with his grandparents. Later he will be admitted to the educational institution for further studies.

Saidul is the eldest of the four children of Mustafa Kamal and Fatema. I asked Fatima how it feels to find a lost child.

He said, ‘I couldn’t understand how it felt to have him in front of my eyes all the time. You are a stupid person, don’t understand. When a mother becomes a new mother, she feels so happy, so happy.’