MUMBAI: In a surprising turn of events, a thief had a change of heart after discovering that the house he had stolen from belonged to the renowned Marathi writer, Narayan Surve. The incident took place in Neral, Raigad district, where Surve’s daughter Sujata and her husband Ganesh Ghare currently reside.
The couple had been away in Virar for ten days, during which time the thief entered their locked house and made off with several items, including an LED TV.
The residence belonged to Narayan Surve, a celebrated Marathi poet and social activist who passed away on August 16, 2010, at the age of 84. Known for his poetry depicting the urban working class struggles, Surve’s daughter Sujata and her husband, Ganesh Ghare, currently live in the house.
While Sujata and Ganesh were visiting their son in Virar, their house remained locked for ten days. During this period, the thief broke in and took several items, including the LED TV. The next day, upon returning to steal more, the thief saw Surve’s photograph and memorabilia, realized whose home he had robbed, and was filled with remorse.
The thief then decided to return all the stolen items and left a small note on the wall. In the note, he expressed his regret and sought forgiveness for his actions, acknowledging Surve’s significance as a prominent literary figure.
“Sorry, I didn’t realize this was the house of such a great person,” the note read.
Sujata and her husband discovered the note upon their return from Virar on Sunday, leading them to inform the police. Police inspector Shivaji Dhavle of Neral police station confirmed the investigation is ongoing, with authorities examining fingerprints found on the TV set and other articles.
Before his rise to fame, Narayan Surve had a challenging life, growing up as an orphan on the streets of Mumbai. Through various jobs such as a domestic help, hotel dishwasher, babysitter, pet-dog caretaker, milk delivery boy, porter, and mill hand, he survived.
Surve’s poetry celebrated labor and questioned traditional literary norms in Marathi literature.