Kendrapada: A tattoo in Odia script on the hand of a 65-year-old woman from Kendrapada led to her reunion with her family after nearly four decades. Pramila Malik of Nandalalpatana village under Pattamundai police limits was traced to Himachal Pradesh and reunited with her relatives on Sunday, bringing an emotional end to a 39-year-long separation.Pramila had gone missing in 1987 when she left her paternal home without informing her family members after her father’s death, leaving behind her husband and infant son. Later, her husband married her younger sister, Urmila Malik. Her family had no information about her whereabouts for decades and did not even know whether she was alive.Police said she travelled to Delhi by train before going to Himachal Pradesh, but they had no information about her whereabouts in the national capital.According to institutional records, Pramila stayed at a mental health institute in Shimla between 2011 and 2018. She was later shifted to Nari Niketan, Shimla, and subsequently moved to an old-age home at Bhangrotu in Feb 2023, where she had been living since.Two weeks ago, a team led by the subdivisional magistrate of Balh in Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi district visited the old-age home and interacted with Pramila to ascertain her identity. During the exercise, officials noticed the Odia tattoo on her hand. Following counselling sessions and further inquiries, officials and social workers associated with Mission Apno Tak established her identity and traced her family in Kendrapada with the help of Odisha police .After Pramila expressed her desire to return home, the Kendrapada police constituted a special team on Sept 26 to bring her back. The team travelled to Himachal Pradesh, completed the required formalities and escorted her to Odisha.On Sunday, the reunion turned emotional as she embraced her son Dhrubacharan Malik and other relatives, breaking down in tears.“The happiest moment of my life was when I embraced my mother after 39 years. I had always prayed for her safe return, and my prayers have finally been answered,” said Dhrubacharan.Pramila was saddened to learn that her husband Dinabandhu and several close relatives had passed away during her absence.Expressing happiness over the reunion, she said she now plans to spend the rest of her life with her son and other family members in the village.Family members thanked officials, social workers and police personnel from both Himachal Pradesh and Odisha for their efforts.