Old photo, Facebook search reunite friends after four decades

Two friends, Devaki Rani Munusamy and Rohani Ambri, who had been separated for four decades, have been reunited through an old photograph and a search on Facebook. The friends first met in 1969 in Segamat, Johor, where they spent their school recesses eating together and staying in touch. Over time, life took them down different paths.

Rohani married young in 1970 and started raising a family, moving frequently due to her husband's military postings. Devaki, on the other hand, went abroad in 1974 for hairdressing and beauty training before returning home and marrying in 1979. After Rohani's marriage, she came to Devaki a few times, and Devaki sent her a wedding card which Rohani attended.

After the wedding, they both went their separate ways. Devaki later moved between Johor Baru, Terengganu, and Kedah, while Rohani remained in their hometown. They lost touch gradually as they both became busy with their families. However, Rohani never forgot Devaki, often looking in crowds to see if Devaki was there. It was only recently, while looking through Devaki's old photo album, that Rohani's name came up.

Devaki's second son, Dr Madhusudhan Shanmugam, suggested using ChatGPT to help find Rohani. After some searching, including identifying Rohani's husband's uniform as a paratrooper's, Dr Madhusudhan posted a photo of Rohani's wedding, which led him to Ropee's children on social media. Ropee had passed away, but one of his sons responded, and Devaki's son was able to reach out to her via phone number provided by Rohani.

When Devaki answered the call, they embraced tightly, realizing they had been searching for each other for 40 years. The reunion brought immense joy to both women, who expressed their happiness at finally meeting again after such a long time.