Calcutta: He left his Khumbong Mamang Leikai village home under Patsoi police station in Imphal West, Manipur, in 1978. After remaining missing for almost four decades, Khomdram Gambhir Singh, 66, finally reunited with his family on Thursday afternoon, courtesy YouTube and other social media platforms.

Gambhir had left home following a misunderstanding with his brothers. "The oldest among six siblings, Gambhir was a Manipur Rifles jawan. His father wanted him to leave his job and work in their farm. But he didn't like being a farmer and left for Mumbai soon after his father died," said Amitabh Singh Arambam, a sub-inspector of Patsoi police, who along with another official, brought Gambhir home from Mumbai.

Gambhir would have been a vagrant on the streets of the Maharashtra capital had it not been for Mumbai-based photographer and designer Firoze Shakir, who spotted him last year.

"I saw a group of local boys teasing him near the Jamat-e-Jamuria mosque and he would shout back at them, saying he's an Indian and not Nepali. One day, I walked up to him and talked to him. I developed a bond with him over a period of time. He used to sing old Hindi songs sitting on a pavement and sometimes people gave him money or food. I made a clip as he sang and uploaded it on YouTube in October last year. I also posted his photos on social media and it went viral. Eventually, his family came to know about his whereabouts," Shakir said.

Gambhir's family then approached Imphal police, who contacted their Mumbai counterparts. Bandra police spotted him at the railway station on April 15. Gambhir was kept in a rehabilitation centre in Virar till Tuesday when a team of Manipur police reached Mumbai and sought his remand.

In Mumbai, Gambhir tried various odd jobs to sustain himself until he met with a road accident. Subsequently, he begged on the streets. "He used to live like a vagabond. But he was never like the other beggars. He would sing old Hindi songs and appreciate it if people give him money. I'm glad he's finally going home now. But I will miss him," Shakir added.

The police official said Gambhir's family thought him dead after remaining missing for nearly four decades.

"I am very happy to return to my family after so long. I will meet my nephews and nieces. I am thankful to everyone who helped me to reunite with my family," an elated Gambhir, who got a rousing sendoff in Mumbai, told The Telegraph while waiting for his flight to Imphal at Calcutta airport on Thursday. "I will try to find some work in my village. I hope the local administration will help me. I will live with my brothers. I won't leave them again," he said.

Ghambhir was welcomed by a large number of people from his locality, well-wishers, relatives and media personnel at the airport after he arrived in Imphal on the Indigo flight around 2.30pm.

Gambhir said, " Bahut achcha laga, jinda wapas aa gaya, mara hua ko jinda kar diya (I am very happy to be back alive)." He said it is the blessing of the almighty he met some good people in Mumbai.

Legislator Sapam Ranjan, who was at the airport, said, "It is the technology and the connectivity that have made the impossible possible. We are really glad to have him with us now."

"Gambhir's condition is really bad now. The government will take some initiatives for the betterment of his life," he added.

Gambhir's brother Khomram Kulachandra said he was once married but got separated from his wife after three months and left home about two months later. He took voluntary retirement from service.

After a year, the family came to know that Gambhir was in Mizoram but when his parents went to look for him he had already left. The family continued their search for years but finally gave up hope.

"I could not believe when my nephew Romen Leichombam came running with the video of my brother. When I saw the video, I could not stop crying. My brother was alive I was very excited. This is like waking up from a nightmare," Kulachandra said.

The video caught the attention of Aheibam Dinamani, an assistant professor of North East Regional Institute of Science and Technology (Nerist) in Arunachal Pradesh. Dinamani contacted Leichombam.

Additional reporting by Ngangbam Indrakanta Singh in Imphal