Freedom. It's in the Little Things. Appa Rao's Story

A father’s quiet sacrifice

More than two decades ago, Appa Rao left home quietly one morning. He wanted to pick up some work to earn a little extra to buy a small gift for his daughter, Sayamma. 
 
“I have only one daughter,” he said. “I wanted to give her some money and buy a nose pin for her.” 
 
He didn’t tell his family where he was going. He reasoned, "If I told them, they would not let me go.” Appa walked nine miles down a dirt road to the train station, hoping a few weeks of labour would help him earn enough to buy this gift for his daughter. But when he missed a connecting train, he found himself lost and alone in a place where no one spoke his language. 
 
Seeking help, he was lured to a man’s house with promises of work and fair pay. 
 
What he thought was going to be a one-week stay turned into 22 years of bonded labour.  
 
Appa was trapped in a highly manipulative form of exploitation and bonded labour. He herded sheep from sunrise to nightfall, fed but never paid, and deceived each year that his wages were safe. 
 
Back home, Sayamma mourned, believing her father was dead. Despite her grief, she worked hard to move forward and provide for her family.  
 
But Sayamma felt her father’s absence most in the small, sacred moments. Her children’s first steps, family dinners, and quiet mornings sipping tea.

When justice becomes protection

Around the same time Appa became trapped, IJM’s team in Tamil Nadu – where he was exploited – began partnering with local government, helping strengthen the justice system and address bonded labour. In 2025, a district official received a tip about an elderly man working without pay. She went to investigate and found Appa in a scrubby field – confused, alone, exhausted, still tending to sheep. She recognised the signs of bonded labour immediately. With support from IJM’s team, she helped file the case and bring him to safety. 

After 22 years, Appa was free. 
 
His frail physique and wrinkled skin tell a story of endurance and deep loss. But this wasn’t the end of his story. 

A family found again 

More than 800 miles away from home, in a country of over a billion people, finding his family would take a miracle. Still, Appa refused to give up hope. 
 
So, the search began... Stretching across the state and gaining national attention. IJM worked with local media, government officials, and digital journalists to help.  
 
One day, Sayamma came across a BBC video about a survivor of bonded labour searching for his family. She began to cry. It was her father. 
 Sayamma drove three days to meet him. And they hugged for the first time since he disappeared.
 
Sayamma recalls being lost for words. She said, “I just cried. My husband cried. My father cried.”

That same day, officials opened a bank account for Appa and deposited rehabilitation funds. They placed the release certificate – a small document that marked the end of his bondage – in his hands.

When Appa arrived home, his grandson bought him a new white vesti (a traditional, and celebratory outfit which is a fabric wrapped around a man’s waist) and blue shirt. Appa entered his village looking fresh and respectable. Sayamma cooked fish curry, his favourite meal, and the family sat down to eat together for the first time in 22 years. 

“...But that day, I sat with my father and ate. It’s the most memorable meal we’ve ever shared.” Sayamma recalls. 

Freedom, it’s in the little things 

Today, Appa wakes each morning to tea and a warm breakfast. He sits by the entrance of the village and laughs with friends. In the evenings, he walks with his son-in-law Chendu to the shop for tea and biscuits. At night, three generations sit together for dinner. 

“It’s the best time,” his daughter said. “All these years, we had no elders in the house. Now he’s here, and we eat together. It feels complete.” 

Freedom, for this family is found in these small moments – a shared meal, a cup of tea, the laughter of a grandchild.