KATHUA, Aug. 16 -- For eight years, Akshay Sharma, a young boy from a poor family in Duggan, lived in silence. Born with a cleft lip and palate, he underwent surgery at the age of three but still could not speak. His parents-struggling with poverty and unable to afford treatment-had almost lost hope of ever hearing their son's voice.
Everything changed when an Army doctor serving in the area came across Akshay. Moved by the family's struggle, he carried out basic check-ups and found that with proper therapy, the boy could learn to talk. Since no such facilities were available in the remote village, the officer studied speech therapy techniques himself and began working with Akshay in his free time. Patiently, he taught him sounds, then wor...