Indian man stuck in Bahrain for 42 years finally returns home: ‘You were never forgotten’ | Trending
Apr 23, 2025 06:48 PM Gopalan Chandran, a 74-year-old Indian, returns home after four decades of undocumented life in Bahrain. An Indian man who had been stranded in the Middle East for over 40 years will be reunited with his family in Kerala, bringing an end to his heartbreaking story of loss and survival. 74-year-old Gopalan Chandran, an Indian expatriate had been stuck in Bahrain for over four decades where he had moved to seek better job opportunities. Gopalan Chandran, 74, (centre) will finally reunite with his 95-year-old mother.(Facebook/Pravasi Legal Cell) A resident of a small village near Powdikonam in Trivandrum, Kerala, Gopalan had arrived in Bahrain on August 16, 1983 hoping to secure a well paying job to help his family back in India. Like many migrant workers, he left home with high hopes and youthful ambition, driven the promise of a better life but fate had other plans. Lost in BahrainSoon after he reached Bahrain, his employer died untimely and his passport was lost. Suddenly, Chandran became undocumented and over the years he fell through the cracks of the immigration system and was stranded in Bahrain for what seemed like eternity. Living his life in a legal limbo, Gopalan survived quietly in the shadows before his return home was made possible the Pravasi Legal Cell (PLC), an NGO which comprised retured judges, lawyers and journals who fight for Indians facing injustice in India and abroad. ‘Welcome home, Gopalan’Sudheer Thirunilath, the Bahrain Chapter President of PLC along with his team coordinated with the Embassy of India in Bahrain and the Kingdom’s Immigration Department to cut through years of bureaucratic red tape and secure Gopalan’s return. “Gopalan finally return home to see his 95-year-old mother—who never stopped waiting for her son. He boards his flight home today morning with no belongings—only memories, tears, and the dream of reuniting with family. This isn’t just a story of a man going home. It’s a story of what happens when humanity, justice, and relentless kindness come together. It’s a symbol of hope for countless migrants who remain unheard. Welcome home, Gopalan. You were never forgotten,” PLC said in a post on Facebook. (Also read: Man stranded in Dubai after accepting fake job offer; Vij orders probe) News / Trending / Indian man stuck in Bahrain for 42 years finally returns home: ‘You were never forgotten’ See Less
