BANI, AUGUST 17:- In a heartwarming story of compassion and commitment, an eight-year-old boy from Duggan Tehsil Bani of Kathua district, who had lived in silence for most of his life, has finally regained his voice—thanks to the extraordinary efforts of an Army doctor.
Akshay Sharma, a Class 3 student from Duggan village, was born with a cleft lip and palate. Although he underwent corrective surgery at the age of three, he remained unable to speak. His parents, civilian labourers working with the Army, could not afford advanced treatment and had resigned themselves to their son’s silence.
Their hopes were rekindled when Captain Saurabh Salunkhe, a young Army doctor posted in the region, met Akshay. After examining him, Capt. Salunkhe identified that speech therapy could help the child overcome his condition.
With no such facilities available in the remote village, Capt. Salunkhe decided to take the initiative himself. He learned speech therapy techniques and personally trained Akshay for over eight weeks—devoting two to three hours daily from his own duty time.
The therapy started with simple gargling, tongue and jaw movements, before advancing to exercises that distinguished nasal and oral sounds, and gradually progressed to labial, palatal and throat sounds. Step by step, Akshay moved from forming sounds to speaking words, and eventually full sentences.
The breakthrough came when Akshay finally called out to his parents. Overwhelmed with emotion, they described the moment as nothing less than a miracle.
“This selfless act has not only transformed one child’s life but has inspired an entire community,” said Defence PRO Lt. Col. Suneel Bartwal. “It is a reminder that the Army’s service goes far beyond guarding borders—it also extends to touching lives in profound ways.”
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