Missing for 26 years, Dharmasthala’s Satish returns home as Salim Abdul Ansari

Mangalore Today News Network

Belthangady, Jun 12, 2026: In what family members describe as a miraculous reunion, a man who had left home 26 years ago has returned to his family in Ashokanagar near Dharmasthala in Belthangady taluk.

Satish had left home at the age of 19 in 2000 after accompanying a circus troupe that had visited Dharmasthala. He subsequently moved to Maharashtra, where he worked for the next 26 years. Over time, he lost contact with his family and even forgot details about his hometown and relatives.

Recently, while visiting the Dharmasthala temple with friends from Maharashtra, memories of his childhood began to resurface. When he visited the place where the circus had once been held, he realised that it was his native place.

Remembering the names of his brothers, he began making enquiries with local residents and shopkeepers to trace his family. After persistent efforts, he was finally reunited with his relatives.

According to family members, Satish’s mother had long prayed for her missing son’s return, offering vows at the Dharmasthala, Kateel and Panolibail temples. Only recently, she had tearfully urged her other sons to continue searching for Satish, saying she wished to see him before her death. Her prayers, the family believes, have now been answered.

When he left home, he was known as Satish. However, he returned as Salim. During his years in Maharashtra, he had adopted the name Salim Abdul Ansari. He married a woman named Talima, and the couple has two children, Khushi and Azam.

Having spent more than two decades away from Karnataka, Salim has forgotten Kannada and Tulu and now speaks entirely in Hindi.