Odisha Man Travels Miles To Help Family Of Missing COVID Patient

A 75-year-old man moved by reading a news item in a local Odia daily on a woman looking for her husband who was missing for a month. Madhusudhan Patra, a 75-year-old man from Biranchipur village in Odisha read a story about Gandharba Jena, 65 who went missing when the Covid patient was shifted from a local hospital to the government-run SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack. He is the only breadwinner in the family and they have been searching for him for the past one month. But all their efforts went in vain. The family had been struggling a lot.

Madhusudhan Patra took Rs. 10,000 from his savings and started from Biranchipur village to reach Gandharba Jena's family's village in Jagatsinghpur district. The destination was 300  km away from where Madhusudhan Patra lives. It took nearly 10 hours for Madhusudhan Patra to reach the village and Gandharba Jena's wife Shanti was surprised to look at him. She said, "He said God willing my husband would come back. He also told me not to cry and then gave Rs.10,000."

Gandharba's daughter Jhili said that they have been seeking help from the local police station about her father but no one helped them in tracing her father. She further added that an old person living far away came to help them.

Madhusudan Patra spent the night with Gandharba's family and left for his home on Saturday. He said that going 300 km was no big deal, he just wanted to help a poor family. He further added that he has some land in his village but no children. So, he has been extending help to the people during the lockdown.