26 January,2021 04:44 AM IST | Mumbai | Hemal Ashar
Ravi Tolani with wife Geeta
On November 19 last year, Ravi Tolani left his Ulhasnagar home in the morning, saying he had some work at Dombivli. This was one of his very few trips outside that year, as he remained mostly confined to his house owing to the COVID-19 restrictions and precautions. However, unlike the other times, the 60-year-old did not return home that day and has been missing since.
His son, Amar Tolani, 29, said, "Dad said he was going to Dombivli to collect an outstanding amount from a couple of shopkeepers. He was in the plastics business. The plan was to take a rickshaw to Kalyan, and then another to Dombivli." Ravi had left with a small carry bag with cash - a little more than he needed for the commute, and his mobile phone. "That was all he usually carried," Amar added.
It was late evening and Ravi hadn't returned yet. Amar said he and his mother Geeta Tolani got worried and "tried calling his number repeatedly, but his mobile phone was switched off." "Next day, we were frantic, calling relatives and friends. Then, I went to Dombivli to talk to the shopkeepers, who told us that my father never visited the shops. Calls to certain people we thought he could have been in touch with also elicited no information." After waiting for a few more hours, the family filed a missing person report at Central police station in Ulhasnagar on November 20.
Amar, who works in an IT company, said, "My father never consumed alcohol or other substances. He also did not have any mental health problems. However, he was a little irked at the strict lockdown and the fact that he was confined to home most of the time, there was nothing more than that. He was not even carrying a huge amount of cash to make him the target of some brutal crime for money. We have absolutely no clue. Even if he has had some kind of accident, somebody would have let us know by now. The police have been immensely helpful, but we have no response yet."
In fact, both Geeta and Amar said that Ravi "was generally cheerful, with a smiling face. He, in fact, decorated the house for Lakshmi pooja on Diwali." Amar said, "He put flowers, lights through the house and did the pooja like he used to. He gave us no reason to think there was anything wrong."
After two months, the distraught mother-son duo admits, "Some negative thoughts have started to creep in, even though we try our best to not think about that too much." Amar said that his father is a devout "Sai Baba follower. I made at least five trips to Shirdi, thinking I may find him in the mandir, or in the holy town, but in vain."
Today, Geeta is drawing strength from prayers and finding her solace in the Bhagavad Gita. "Every time the doorbell rings, our hearts pound in anticipation," said Amar, adding, "I cannot explain the fervent hope with which we wait, yearning to open the door to him with the bag in his hand, seeing the smile on his face intact." If you have spotted Ravi, contact his family at: 9421549128 or 9767174380.
19 November
Day Ravi Tolani, a resident of Ulhasnagar, went missing
