KUALA LUMPUR: A teacher's heartfelt wish to reunite with her long-lost student, Putri Alyaa, has captured the hearts of many on social media.
Zainun Zahari took to Facebook yesterday seeking help to find her former pupil, and recently confirmed an emotional reunion after her posting went viral.
Zainun, a former teacher at SK Datu Hashim in Pengkalan Chepa, Kelantan, shared a moving post on Facebook titled 'Mencari Putri Alyaa' (Searching for Putri Alyaa), where she expressed her deep desire to reconnect with a student who had left a lasting impression on her.
During their time together at school, Zainun recalled a touching memory — a small container of delicious curry puffs that Putri Alyaa gave her on her last day.
"She gave me the container with tears in her eyes," Zainun recounted.
"She was always quite attached to me. I didn't tell her I was leaving, but she eventually found out," she explained.
Putri was only in Year 4 at the time but the emotional farewell left a lasting impact on Zainun. To this day, she keeps a note from Putri, along with the container Putri Alyaa used to give the curry puffs, as treasured mementos.
"I still have the note she wrote me, though it has yellowed with age. Every time I see it, I wonder where Putri Alyaa is now," Zainun wrote in her post.
She added that it wasn't the material value of the gift that tied her heart to her former student, but rather the sincerity and purity behind it.
In a new post today, Zainun shared that she had received a message from a woman claiming to be the mother of one of Putri Alyaa's friends.
The woman provided information that helped Zainun confirm the student's identity.
Thanks to the power of social media and the help of netizens, it turned out that the student was indeed the Putri Alyaa Zainun had been searching for.
Although Zainun could not meet Alyaa in person due to personal reasons, a video call brought about a heartwarming reunion.
"Alhamdulillah (praise be to God), she was the person I was looking for. Subhanallah (glory be to God), it felt impossible to find her.
"I did not expect my post to find Putri Alyaa to go viral and widely shared by the public. I extend my heartfelt thanks for the prayers, encouragement and messages from everyone," added Zainun.