On 19th March 2018 Pappu received a phone call from the Child Welfare Committee asking if he was able to accept a small boy with cerebral palsy into the boys’ house.

Pappu was told to go and meet with them and visit Aakash at a nursing home, not far from the boys’ house in Behala. He and Pappu immediately hit it off and Pappu said yes.

Aakash was found around 2010 on a train outside Howrah Station, wrapped in a white towel, in the first class carriage of a train heading for Delhi. The manager of a nursing home who happened to be on the train alerted the police at the next station and headed back to Kolkata with Aakash.

Since then he has been lovingly cared for at the nursing home by the team of doctors, nurses and care staff, but has never interacted with children or young people.

The nursing home had an extension where they kept abandoned children, but with lack of money and trained staff they were closing this down to concentrate on the hospital side of their work.

Aakash was the last boy from the home and was living on the nurses station on the first floor of the hospital. He has been surrounded by love and care and it was hard for all of them to say goodbye to him. Many tears were shed.

On Wednesday 28th March 2018, Aakash was brought to shuktara by Pappu.

He came with one of his carers who was really happy to see shuktara and left with tears in her eyes, but with joy and happiness at the prospect of Aakash growing up surrounded by boys his own age, or older, who understand his disability.

Sumon, who also has cerebral palsy, quickly bonded with Aakash, telling him – you will be like me!

(Click here for an email from David about Aakash coming to shuktara)