Jeypore: A time-tested proverb ‘A true friend is better than a hundred relatives’ has once again been proven right by a remarkable gesture.

A man has not only identified his childhood friend, who is mentally unsound and had thus been loitering aimlessly here in Koraput district, but also brought him to his house.

Ramesh Pujari, best known as Tutu, had been roaming on the streets until he was identified and rescued by his friend Sibajee Patnaik.

After rescuing him, Sibajee got his uncared, matted hair washed and trimmed and had his beard shaved. He has given him new clothes and a place to stay as well.

According to Sibajee, Tutu used to be a brilliant student in his schooldays. He was equally good at sports too, especially at cricket. He used to work at the municipality office here and was leading a happy life with his family.

About five years ago, he had lost his mental balance due to some unknown reasons. One day he got out of his house to never return. He had been wandering aimlessly on the streets.

Over the years, he used to live on whatever passersby would give him out of sympathy. Verandahs of shops and houses here used to be his usual places for taking rest and retiring for the day.

As luck would have it, Sibajee was going somewhere else and came across Tutu. He had a wild growth of beard and a piece of polythene sheet as headgear. His matted hair and stinking clothes stood to reason that he had not taken a bath for ages. When asked how he could identify him, Sibajee said, “It would never be a problem for a person to recognise his childhood friend, even if the latter meets the former after a long gap.”

“I talked to him and after much pursuance I was able to take him to a saloon where his unkempt hair and beard was cut. Then I took him to my house and he is presently staying with me,” said Sibajee.

He said he would take Tutu to a psychiatrist at Saheed Laxman Naik Medical College and Hospital in Koraput for treatment.

“Proper medical attention and counseling would do a difference to get him back to the mainstream of society. If the administration or any private organisation comes forward and help him with his recovery, it would be a great help,” he observed.

Echoing the same feelings, locals who heaped praise on Sibajee for his noble gesture, urged the administration to take steps for the treatment of Tutu.

PNN