Geeta’s Journey: A Story of Hope, Care and Belonging
Geeta’s story became known across India and Pakistan when, as a young child, she was found alone on the Samjhauta Express in Lahore. Unable to communicate her family details, she spent years in the care of the Edhi Foundation in Karachi. In 2015, she returned to India to a warm public welcome. Yet a homecoming was only one chapter of her story. Finding family, continuing her education and building an independent life would take time and sustained support.
A childhood separated from home
Accounts collected in Progressive Life Center’s story say Geeta was around seven or eight when she was found on the train. The Edhi Foundation, especially Bilquis Edhi and her family, cared for her during her years in Pakistan. Their care became an important part of a story that moved people on both sides of the border.
The search for Geeta’s family involved the Indian High Commission in Pakistan. Then External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj asked High Commissioner T. C. A. Raghavan to meet her and help trace her relatives. Before leaving Karachi, Geeta thanked the people who had looked after her. She arrived in India in 2015, but identifying her family remained a complex process. The supplied account notes that a further DNA test was planned in 2018.
Welcomed and recognized
Geeta’s return received national attention, including a welcome from then Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Photographs in the supplied story also show her being greeted at community events and receiving flowers alongside supporters. These moments recognized her resilience and the care of those who stood beside her.
A new chapter with Progressive Life Center
According to Progressive Life Center’s account, Geeta connected with the organization on 23 December 2023. At that time, she wanted to live close to her mother in Waluj, near Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. PLC’s account says her father had died years earlier and her mother had remarried. The family was living in two small rooms with limited resources, and the center reported that housing, food, transport and education costs were difficult to meet.
The center says Geeta had completed Class 5, but interruptions to her schooling, including the COVID-19 period, affected her progress. She enrolled in its Class 8 coaching, where learning is supported through sign language. PLC provides educational guidance, rehabilitation support, vocational training and skills development for Deaf learners. In its account, the center reported supporting 45 Deaf students each day, including some who used residential facilities. Geeta expressed a wish to continue studying through Class 10.
The part of her story still unfolding
The “still unsolved” story shared by PLC speaks about the practical realities behind the public homecoming. It describes Geeta’s difficulty paying rent and travelling to classes, as well as her family’s limited means. The center identified shelter, food, transport and educational expenses as her immediate needs at the time of its account. It said she was living in a rented room near her mother and struggling with the monthly rent and the cost of travelling to classes.
Geeta described feeling like a burden on her family because of their financial difficulties. She also expressed a deeply personal goal: to complete her education and help Deaf people who face hardship or homelessness. In the center’s telling, she wants the opportunity to build a dignified life and then extend that opportunity to others.
Progressive Life Center says its priority is to support her sign language education and, later, help her participate in skills training. Her journey reminds us that public attention can open a door, but accessible education, stable housing and a supportive community help someone walk through it.
Moments from Geeta’s journey
Moments that show Geeta’s journey
These photographs bring together important moments from Geeta’s return, community support, education journey and continued care with Progressive Life Center.
Help make the next chapter possible
Geeta’s story is one of care across borders, a long search for belonging and determination to learn. Progressive Life Center invites people who would like to support her education and everyday needs to contact the organization directly for current information about how to help.
Contact Progressive Life Center: +91 98501 07892
Location: Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad), Maharashtra
This story is based on material supplied by Progressive Life Center. Descriptions of Geeta’s circumstances and needs reflect the center’s account and may have changed since it was prepared.
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