All Yogesh Prasad remembers of his childhood is that his village was somewhere between Lucknow and Rae Bareli; that it had a canal and a post-office he used to visit along with his father. Prasad has now moved miles away from his birthplace to Canada, but a scheme introduced by the Uttar Pradesh tourism department has helped him retrace his lost footsteps in time. Under the ‘Discover your Roots’ scheme, search teams will help NRIs, Britishers and other nationals who lived and worked in UP at one point trace the places they were born and lived in.
‘‘To get to see the remnants of the house where their forefathers or ancestors lived, schools they visited, wells where they bathed, fields which they tilled and temple/mosque/church where they prayed would be a nostalgic experience for them,’’ says the department’s website.

For instance, Prasad, who migrated to Canada 50 years ago, e-mailed to the department all he could remember of his childhood. In two months, a team had tracked down a village in Rae Bareli district that matched his description. Prasad lost no time in airdashing to India and visiting his village on November 15, talking to locals and spending some time in the place where he was born.

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In the six months since the department launched its scheme, 33 NRIs have responded, state Tourism Secretary Desh Deepak Verma told The Indian Express. After Mahadev Prasad first touched base from New York six months ago, five NRIs have struck lucky, adds Verma, who’s the brain behind the scheme.

‘‘We work on the premise that every sixth person in the world is Indian, and every sixth Indian is from Uttar Pradesh. Thus, it shouldn’t be surprising for anyone if a majority of NRIs have their roots in the state,’’ Verma says. ‘‘NRIs feel rootless and we help them trace the place of their ancestors.’’

Though the first 100 NRIs are being serviced for free, this project could turn out to be a major money-spinner. ‘‘Most of these NRIs are well-off, and their return to their native places will boost tourism,’’ remarks Verma. And if a generous NRI wants to adopt his village or initiate any welfare project, the UP government is standing by with all the infrastructure at his disposal. Though the information provided to teams could often be sketchy, the government has instructed DMs and SSPs in the state to entertain informations sent from the tourism department on a priority basis.