June 2010 mein aik garmi ka din tha, do Indian bachay apne walidain se naraz ho kar ghar chhod kar chale gaye.
Ye bhai behan - 11 saal ki Rakhi aur saat saal ka Bablu - apni daadi ke ghar jaane ka irada banaye jo sirf ek kilometer door tha. Magar kuch galat muraavat se unho ne rasta kho diya.
Unhein apne ghar lautne mein zyada se zyada 13 saal lag gaye - bachon ke huqooq ke activist ki madad se - apni maa Neetu Kumari ke paas.
"Maine apni maa ko har roz bohot miss kiya," Bablu ne mujh se phone par baat karte hue kaha. "Main ab bohot khush hoon ke main apne parivaar ke saath hoon."
Disambar ke end mein unke mulaqat ka video dikhata hai jisme Neetu Bablu ko gale laga kar khushi se ro rahi hai aur khuda ka shukr ada kar rahi hai "mere bete ko phir se godh mein uthane ka khushi dene ke liye".
Phir Bablu ne Rakhi ko gale lagaaya, jo do din pehle ghar laut aayi thi. Halankeh ye bhai behan kuch saalon tak raabta mein rahe, lekin unki mulaqat zyada se zyada das saal baad hui thi.
Alag hona Bablu aur Rakhi Agra sheher mein apne walidain Neetu Kumari aur Santosh ke saath rehte the, jo rozgaar ke liye kaam karte the.
16 June 2010 ko, Neetu jo us din kaam nahi milne ki wajah se pareshan thi, usne apni frustration ko Rakhi par nikala aur usay woh lohay ki chimta maara jo usay khana pakane mein istemal hota tha.
Rakhi aur Bablu unke ghar chhod kar chale gaye jab unki maa bahar kuch kaam se gayi thi.
"Kabhi kabhi agar main theek se padhai nahi karta tha to mera baap bhi mujhe maarta tha, isliye jab Rakhi mere paas aayi aur kaha chalo daadi ke paas chalein, to maine maan liya," Bablu kehta hai.
Jab unho ne rasta kho diya, aik rickshaw wale ne unhein railway station tak lift di.
Wahan, bachay ek train mein sawar hue jahan unhein ek aurat ne dekha, jo ek bachon ki khairati idara ke saath kaam karti thi.
Jab train Meerut pohanchi, jo unke ghar se lagbhag 250km (155 miles) door hai, to usne unhein police ko saunp diya jo unhein sarkari yateemkhana le gayi.
"Humne unhein bataya ke hum ghar jaana chahte hain, humne unhein apne ma-baap ke baare mein batane ki koshish ki, lekin police ya yateemkhana ke afseeron ne hamari family ko dhoondhne ki koshish nahi ki," kehta hai Bablu.
Ek saal baad, bhai behan ko alag kar diya gaya - Rakhi ko ek NGO ke chalaye gaye ladkiyon ke liye ek shelter mein shift kiya gaya jo Dilli, Bharat ke rajdhani ke qareeb thi. Kuch saal baad, Bablu ko Uttar Pradesh rajya ke rajdhani Lucknow mein ek aur sarkari yateemkhane mein shift kiya gaya.
Bhai behan phir se milte hain Jab bhi koi important afseer, khairati idara ke afseer ya sahafi yateemkhana mein aate, Bablu unhein Rakhi ke baare mein batata aur umeed karta ke woh usse phir se mila de.
Magar sirf 2017 mein iska phal mila - ek naye shelter caretaker ne uski madad karne ka faisla kiya jab usne usse bataya ke uski behan ko Dilli ke nazdeek kisi purane ladkiyon ke yateemkhane mein bhej diya gaya tha.
"Usne Noida aur Greater Noida (Dilli ke suburbs) mein har ek yateemkhane ko phone kiya aur unse poocha ke kya unke paas kisi Rakhi naam ki ladki hai, aur bohot mehnat ke baad, usne use dhoondh liya," kehta hai Bablu.
"Main sarkar ko yeh kehna chahta hoon ke bhai behan ko alag karna bohot zyadti hai. Bhai behan ko ek dusre ke paas hi centres mein rehne dena chahiye. Unhein alag karna theek nahi hai," woh kehta hai.
Jab bhai behan phir se milte, woh aksar phone par baat karte. Lekin har baar jab baat maa dhoondhne ki hoti, Rakhi mein shak paida hota. "Tera saal lamba waqt nahi hai aur mujhe thora sa bhi umeed nahi thi ke hum mumma ko dhoondh paayenge," usne mujhse kaha.
Bablu mein aise shak nahi tha. "Mujhe Rakhi ko dhoondh kar bohot khushi hui aur mujhe bharosa tha ke ab humari maa ko bhi dhoondh paunga," usne kaha.
'42 saal baad apni maa se milna ek chamatkaar tha' Bablu ke kehne ke mutabiq, ek jagah jahan woh rehte the, waha ke dekhbhaal karnewale aur bade ladke unhe aksar maarte the. Usne bataya ke usne do baar bhagne ki koshish ki, lekin phir dar kar laut aaya.
Rakhi ke mutabiq, NGO jahan usne apna bachpan guzara, ne uski acchi dekhbhaal ki thi. Main usse poochti hoon ke kya woh sochti hai ke agar woh ghar par hi hoti to uska zindagi alag hota.
"Main yakeen karti hoon ke jo bhi hota hai, wo hamesha achhai ke liye hota hai aur shayad meri zindagi ghar par rehne se behtar rahi hogi," usne kaha.
"Main unka hissa nahi thi lekin phir bhi woh mujhe acche se dekhte the. Kisi ne mujhe kabhi nahi maara aur mujhe acche se treat kiya gaya. Mujhe ek acchi school mein daakhil kiya gaya, mujhe acchi healthcare ki suvidha mili aur sabhi dusri suvidhaayen mili jo ek bade shehar ke kareeb rehne se milti hain," usne kaha.
Parivaar ko punarjodhne wala karyakarta 20 December ko, Agra se child rights activist Naresh Paras ko ek call mila Bablu se jo ab Bengaluru mein rehta hai aur naukri karta hai.
"Tumne kayi parivaaron ko punarjodhne mein madad ki hai, kya tum meri madad kar sakte ho apna parivaar dhoondhne mein?" Bablu ne unse poocha.
Mr. Paras, jo 2007 se bachon ke saath kaam kar rahe hain, kehte hain ke yeh mamla asaan nahi tha.
Bhai behan unke pitaji ka naam yaad nahi rakhte the aur unke government-issued Aadhaar cards mein unke pitaji ke liye alag-alag naam the. Unhein nahi pata tha ke woh kaunse rajya ya jile se aaye the aur unka yateemkhana record kehta tha ke woh Bilaspur se hain, Chhattisgarh ke madhya mein sthit ek shehar. Mr. Paras ke Bilaspur ke yateemkhanaon aur police ko phone karne par koi safalta nahi mili.
Ek doorbeen ka waqt aya jab Bablu ne yaad kiya ke usne jis steshan se train mein sawar hua tha, wahan steshan ke bahar ek dummy railway engine dekha tha.
"Tab mujhe pata chala ke yeh Agra Cantonment steshan hi hoga," Mr. Paras kehte hain.
Sheher ke police ke record mein dekhte hue, unhone Jagdishpura police station par focus kiya jahan bhai behan ke pitaji ne June 2010 mein shikayat darj karayi thi.
Lekin jab unhone parivaar ko dhoondha, to unhein pata chala ke woh wahan kiraye par rehte the aur chale gaye the.
Tab Rakhi ne unhein bataya ke usne apne maa ka naam Neetu rakha tha aur uske gardan par ek jalne ka nishan tha.
Mr. Paras phir labour chowk gaye - ek jagah Agra mein jahan har subah rozgaar ki talash mein rozgaar ke liye dainik vetanbhogi ikatthe hote hain. Wahan Neetu ko nahi mila, lekin kuch dainik vetanbhogiyon ne kaha ke unhein jaante hain aur woh sandesh forward kar denge.
Jaise hi Neetu Kumari ne suna ke uske bachche mil gaye hain, usne police ko bulaya, jo phir Mr. Paras se rabta kiya.
Punarjodh hokar - 13 saal baad Jab Mr. Paras Neetu se milne gaye, to usne unhein bachon ki tasveerein aur ek police shikayat ka nakal dikhaya. Jab usne unhein video call par Bablu aur Rakhi se jod diya, to sab ne ek dusre ko pehchana.
Neetu Kumari ne Mr. Paras ko bataya ke usse "Rakhi ko maarna afsos tha" aur usne apne bachon ko dhoondhne ke liye kya kya koshishen ki thin.
"Maine thoda paisa udhaar liya aur Patna [Bihar ke rajya ka rajdhani] gaya jab suna ke meri bachon ko wahan sadak par bhikhari banate hue dekha gaya tha. Main mandiron, masjidon, gurudware aur girje gaya dua karne ke liye ke meri bachon ki suraksha ho," usne usse kaha.
Emotional aur aansoo bhari mulaqat mein apne bete aur beti ke saath, usne kaha ke usne zindagi ka naya pehlu pa liya hai.
Rakhi ne kaha ke usse aisa lag raha tha ke woh "ek film mein" hai kyun ke usne kabhi apni maa se dobara milne ka socha bhi nahi tha. "Mujhe bohot khushi hui," usne kaha.
Bablu keheta hai ke uske jazbaat "mukhtalif" the.
"Yeh ajeeb baat hai ke Mr. Paras ne sirf ek hafta mein meri family ko dhoondh liya. Main police aur NGO ke kaam karne wale afseeron se naraaz tha jo mera madad nahi kiya jab bhi maine unse madad maangi lekin main apni maa se baat karke bohot khush tha. Woh ro rahi thi, keh rahi thi 'tumne mujhe kyun chhod diya?' Maine usse kaha 'main tumhe kabhi chhod kar nahi jaata. Main kho gaya tha'," usne kaha.
