Missing HP man who lost memory walks home after 45 yrs

In a plot straight out of a Bollywood film, a man from Himachal Pradesh missing since 1980 found his way home after a recent head injury that revived his lost memory. Rikhi Ram, now known as Ravi Chaudhary, returned to Nadi village in Himachal Pradesh on November 15, with his wife and three children.

Sixteen-year-old Rikhi had left his village in search of work in 1980. Eventually, he landed a job at a hotel in Yamunanagar. He went missing when during a trip to Ambala, a road accident left him with a serious head injury. The injury wiped out every trace of his past and even his own name. His companions in Haryana christened him Ravi Chaudhary, a name that soon became his new identity. With no memory to guide him home, he rebuilt his life from scratch.

Later, he drifted to Mumbai’s Dadar, taking up small jobs to survive. Eventually, he settled in Nanded, Maharashtra, where a college employed him. In 1994, he married Santoshi, and the family grew to include two daughters and a son. By all measures, he was living a stable, contented life.

Then came 2025. After a minor accident months ago, old images started returning in dreams: a mango tree, a village swing, a narrow path to Sataun and the courtyard of a house he hadn’t seen in decades. At first, he dismissed the dreams but these intensified. Then he realised that these were not just dreams, but memories.

With limited education, he turned to a college student for help. Together they searched Nadi village and Sataun on Google. A phone number of Sataun’s local cafe popped up. From there, a contact was established with Nadi resident Rudra Prakash. The final confirmation came in a call with the family’s relative MK Chaubey, who recognised the fragmented but genuine details of Rikhi’s past.

The homecoming on November 15 felt like watching destiny rewrite itself in broad daylight. Drums rolled, garlands swayed and a jubilant crowd welcomed Rikhi. Emotions overpowered the gathering as siblings Durga Ram, Chander Mohan, Chandramani, Kaushalya Devi, Kala Devi and Sumitra Devi clung to him, unable to control their tears. The boy who they thought had died had walked in alive.

Younger brother Durga Ram struggled to speak through tears. “We believed he had left this world long ago. Seeing him stand before us after 45 years feels like witnessing a second birth. This is nothing short of a miracle.”

One more twist added to the uniqueness of this tale. Rikhi had grown up in a Brahmin household until the age of 16. But after losing his memory in Haryana, his new companions, unaware of his past, gave him a Rajput identity with the name Ravi Chaudhary. He lived his entire adult life in the culture, lifestyle and customs of that community. Now, with his memory restored, he has embraced his original identity once again, returning to his roots as a Brahmin in his native village.