At a time when there are discussions about the increase in the misuse of social media by youngsters, Facebook has helped unite a mentally ill man with his family.
A man wearing untidy clothes was wandering near Salumaradamma Temple Katte in Tarikere for the last four months. He would collect tea and bread from shops in the vicinity daily for his living.
He would smile and converse in Malayalam all by himself. Seeing him daily, youths Mohan, Srinivas Balaji, Lokesh, Shivu and Naveen from Mari Gadduge Circle informed Masood who is into arecanut trade in the town. After collecting information, Masood uploaded a photograph of the man on Facebook.
Through some friends, the post reached the family of the man, who in turn visited Tarikere on Sunday and took him back home.
The mentally ill man was identified as Prasad hailing from Panamaram in Wayanad.
“A graduate, he was a good writer during his college days and was running a bookstall. He was suffering from mental illness for the last eight years and escaped from the hospital during treatment,” said his brother Pradeep.
Prasad could identify his brother and college friends.