Left on the Street as a Child, Swastika Reunites with Her Mother After 14 Years

 Fourteen years ago, a little girl named Swastika KC was left on the side of the road in Dhulikhel by her father. He told her, “Wait here, I’ll bring you some food,” and never came back.

Swastika, now 18, spent her childhood growing up in children’s shelters, never knowing where her family was or why she was abandoned. Her journey took a turn when Sharmila Shrestha, who runs Siddhartha Children’s Home, tried to help her apply for citizenship. To do so, they needed to trace her family—but repeated efforts to find her relatives failed.

Eventually, social activist Arjun Bhusal stepped in. He traveled to Dhulikhel and posted a video online sharing Swastika’s story. The response was more than anyone expected—Swastika’s mother, Manju KC, saw the video and reached out.

“I was shocked and so happy to see my mother after 14 years,” said Swastika in an interview with Onlinekhabar. “I never thought I’d get to meet her again.”

Swastika broke down in tears as she embraced her mother for the first time in over a decade. “I was very young when I was left. I don’t remember everything, but I always wondered—where is my family? What are they doing?”

After connecting through the video, Manju KC contacted Arjun Bhusal and asked to meet her daughter. Arjun then took Swastika and Shrestha to Chitwan, where the reunion took place.

Manju, who had remarried and started a new life, had left her abusive relationship with Swastika’s father many years ago. After she left, the father remarried, and his behavior toward Swastika reportedly changed. Eventually, he abandoned her in Dhulikhel, and has not been heard from since.

Swastika’s story didn’t end there. After being found by a woman named Radha Makaju, she was kept safe and sent to school. But when Makaju moved to the U.S., Swastika was transferred to Siddhartha Children’s Home. She continued her education and recently completed Grade 12.

Now that she has found her mother, Swastika feels a sense of peace—but she still wants answers. “I want to know why my father left me,” she says.

Activist Bhusal is now trying to locate her father. Based on information from locals, it’s believed he once worked in Amlekhgunj, helping manage truck traffic for petroleum shipments. Arjun plans to go there next in hopes of finally finding him and bringing closure to Swastika’s long search.