Beating odds, mother and son reunite
On February 13, 2018, Mohammad Siam, aged 9, stormed out of his home after his mother scolded him for not studying. He went to a nearby park and was greeted by an insidious man. They chatted and ate snacks before the man suggested that they should go somewhere. With a car ride through Hatir Jheel to the Kamalapur station, Siam, blinded in trust, excitedly hopped onto a train thinking he will return home soon. As the train started, the man left Siam with the lie that he will be back soon. With the man gone from sight, Siam realised that he was misled. The train rushed onwards for hours, taking the panicked and horrified Siam to Sylhet.
From the many strangers at the station, one man took him home but soon sent him to another family. This family, two parents and children, forced unpaid laborious farm work on to Siam. As Siam's tears, homesickness and requests were consistently ignored by the family, he continued to work. Penniless, but rich in prayers, Siam prayed in mosques and told his story to local men. As months passed, an anonymous man from the mosque informed a diligent policeman, SP Kabir, about Siam's circumstances.
On the other hand, Siam's mother, Jahanara, frantically went around Dhaka with her son's photo clutched in her hand. She filed a case in Badda Police Station, reported to her son's school Badda Alatunnessa School, sought fortune tellers, and informed her relatives and the homes that she had worked in. Many told her the boy is dead, but her faith in the Almighty remained strong.
SP Kabir, once notified, was determined to return Siam home in 24 hours. Soon, the Badda Police Station sent the message to Jahanara that her son was located in Daulatpur, Sylhet. Without sparing a moment, with two relatives, Jahanara took a train and an auto rickshaw ride to Daulatpur. SP Kabir kept in contact with her all night, in case she had any concerns.
Reaching the final destination, the mother and son looked unfamiliar to each other, as she was veiled in a burqa and he grew scrawny. However, they quickly embraced in hugs and tears. They returned home on October 2, 2018.
Siam and his mother are deeply thankful to the two men who helped them. The couple who took Siam in became affectionately teary-eyed after seeing the reunion of the mother and son.
After being separated from his mother for eight months, Siam, now fluent in Sylheti, is thankful to be with his family. Attending the 6th grade this year, he takes his studies more seriously and understands the love and concern in his mother's aim of disciplining him.