After more than four decades of being stranded abroad, 74-year-old Gopalan Chandran has finally returned to his family in Kerala, ending a heartbreaking chapter of displacement and survival.
Gopalan, a native of a small village near Powdikonam in Trivandrum, left for Bahrain on August 16, 1983, in search of better job opportunities to support his family. Like many migrant workers, he departed with dreams of a brighter future—but life took an unexpected turn.
Shortly after his arrival, tragedy struck when his employer passed away. In the chaos that followed, Gopalan lost his passport and became undocumented. Trapped in legal limbo, he quietly faded into the margins of society, unable to return home and forgotten by the immigration system.
For 42 years, Gopalan lived in the shadows in Bahrain, cut off from his homeland and his loved ones. His story might have ended in silence, if not for the intervention of the Pravasi Legal Cell (PLC)—an NGO made up of retired judges, lawyers, and journalists who advocate for Indian expatriates facing injustice both at home and abroad.
With tireless effort, Sudheer Thirunilath, President of PLC’s Bahrain chapter, and his team worked closely with the Embassy of India in Bahrain and the Kingdom’s Immigration Department to clear the bureaucratic hurdles that had kept Gopalan away for so long.
Thanks to their efforts, Gopalan boarded his flight home carrying nothing but memories, emotions, and the hope of finally reuniting with his family—especially his 95-year-old mother, who never gave up on seeing her son again.
“This is more than just a man going home,” PLC wrote in a moving Facebook post. “It’s a story of humanity, of justice, and the power of compassion. It’s a symbol of hope for thousands of migrants still waiting to be heard. Welcome home, Gopalan. You were never forgotten.”
