Born in prison and sent away, a young man and his mother are finally reunited.
Nineteen years ago, Kanhaiya Kumari’s mother Vijai was convicted, wrongfully according to her, of murder. She was pregnant when she was sent to prison, and 4 months later gave birth to Kanhaiya. According to the BBC, Vijai was granted bail on appeal but did not have the $180 that would have allowed her to go free. She was abandoned by her husband, and there was no one else to step forward to help. She said, “I thought I’d die in prison. They told me in there that no-one ever gets out.”
At first Kanhaiya stayed with his mother, but she told the BBC “I sent him away when he got a bit older. It was hard but I was determined. Prison is no place for a young child.” After leaving his mother, Kanhaiya spent his childhood living in various juvenile homes. But he never forgot his mother, and made sure to visit her every three months. He said, “I would think of her and cry. She was in prison, all alone. No-one else ever visited her. And my father turned his back on her.”
When Kanhaiya turned 18 he got a job working in a garment factory, saving everything he could to help his mother regain her freedom. He was eventually able to hire a lawyer, who was surprised to hear that Vijai had been lost in the system for almost 20 years. When the case was brought before the court, the Judges “expressed their shock at her situation and the ‘callous and careless’ behavior of the authorities.” They ordered her release, and she and her son were reunited earlier this month.
Kanhaiya said that he and his mother plan to confront his father and fight for their rights to a portion of the family’s property. But for now, mother and son are just thankful to finally be together again. Vijai said, “”All I want is for my son to be settled. He’s all I have in this world.”
This is like a fairy tale about the power of love to create justice.