A few lines of observation penned by B.P. Swaroop in a note became Asiya’s passport from the temple town of Yadagirigutta in Telangana to Solapur in Maharashtra. They contained just a few clues: Koli Samaj in Solapur, and the names of her son, Salman, and daughter, Aksa.“Mereko ghar bhejte kya? (Will you send me home?)” were the first words the 55-year-old uttered in nearly three years, a fortnight ago.Dr. Swaroop, psychiatrist and project officer, District Mental Health Programme in Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri, had been trying to get her to speak. Asiya had been found wandering at the Yadagirigutta bus stand and handed over to the police after locals rescued her. She had remained largely silent since.“I told her I would send her home and asked where she was from. She said near Koli Samaj, Solapur, and mentioned her children. I immediately googled it and showed her a picture. She lit up with an expression I had never seen before and said, ‘Haan, yahi hai… yahi hai’ (‘Yes, this is it… this is it’),” he said.Those few details set the search in motion.According to District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) secretary V. Madhavi Latha, letters were sent to the Solapur DLSA and the Superintendent of Police, using the details Asiya had recalled. The clues eventually led them to her children.Asiya had been sheltered at the local Sahrudaya old age home, where she also received psychiatric treatment.Dr. Swaroop says Asiya suffered from chronic schizophrenia, a condition that can cause people to lose touch with reality and become socially withdrawn for years or long. She was prescribed antipsychotics and antidepressants. He believes the vividly remembered death of a family member may have triggered her condition.The case came under the Legal Services to Persons with Mental Illness and Persons with Intellectual Disabilities (LSUM), also called Manonyay, under the National Legal Services Authority, which seeks to ensure humane treatment and legal support for non-criminal persons with mental illness, and that they do not languish in facilities.Ms. Madhavi Latha said she regularly inspected shelters with health, welfare, NGO, Sakhi Centre and other officials. Of five people with mental illness in the district, two recovered and returned home locally. Asiya, however, remained silent at every camp until two weeks ago.“Every time I visited her, I thought her children must be searching for her. Her memory recovery was remarkable, and the satisfaction of reuniting her with her family is something I truly value,” she said.On August 8, Asiya was reunited with her children. She recognised them immediately and hugged them. Published - August 10, 2026 07:53 pm IST