Bollywood spills onto Facebook as man reunites with lost brother

Separated while still young, it took just one Facebook message to reunite these siblings 11 years later. This is the story of 24-year-old Ankush Domale, a resident of Hadapsar, reports The Indian Express. 

Santosh Domale, Ankush’s younger brother, finally heard from his brother on July 21 this year in an almost unexpected fashion. Scolded by his mom for spending too much time on Facebook, Santosh was preparing to sleep. It was past midnight – 1am to be precise – when Santosh’s phone beeped. Ankush had messaged Santosh on Facebook in Marathi – “I am your brother. Call me.” Santosh promptly called back only to find that the person on the other side was indeed his brother.  

(L to R) Ankush Domale and Santosh Domale

“When I saw his picture on FB, I didn’t recognise him as he had a pagdi (turban) and beard. He looked like a sardar. I woke up my mother and asked him if she recognised the person. She confirmed that it was Ankush," said Santosh.

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Older brother Ankush had left home as a kid (he was all of 13 then) after being scolded by his uncle and mother for having damaged the former’s motorcycle. In her anger, Ankush’s mother, Hemlata Domale, threw a 50 rupees note and asked him to leave home. 

“A Sikh truck driver, who was transporting goods from Mumbai to Nanded, came and I told him my story. He offered to take me along with him," he said. Ankush refused to accompany the driver to his home in Punjab, so the driver left him at a gurdwara in Nanded.