Kathua boy finds voice after eight years of silence, thanks to Army doctor

After eight years of silence, eight-year-old Akshay Sharma from a village in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district has finally found his voice, thanks to the efforts of an Army doctor.

Born with a cleft lip and palate, Akshay underwent a surgery at the age of three but was still unable to speak.

His parents, who work as civilian labourers with the Indian Army, could not afford further treatment and had almost given up hope of hearing their son speak.

“Their hope was revived when Captain Saurabh Salunkhe, an Army doctor serving in the area, met Akshay,” defence PRO Lieutenant Colonel Suneel Bartwal said.

After examining Akshay, Captain Salunkhe realised that with proper speech therapy, the boy could find his voice.

Since no such facility was available in the remote village, Captain Salunkhe took it upon himself to learn the technique and train the boy personally, Lieutenant Colonel Bartwal said.

Over the next eight weeks, the doctor dedicated two to three hours daily from his duty hours to guide Akshay.

“The training began with simple gargles, tongue and jaw exercises, and gradually moved on to differentiating nasal and oral sounds, learning labial and palatal sounds, and finally practising throat sounds,” the PRO said, adding that slowly, words turned into sentences as Akshay started speaking with confidence.

The breakthrough came when Akshay, a Class 3 student at Duggan High School, finally called his parents. “Overcome with emotion, they described it as nothing short of a miracle,” Lieutenant Colonel Bartwal said.

“What began as a soldier’s act of kindness has brought hope to an entire community, serving as a reminder that the Army not only guards the nation’s borders, but also touches lives in profound ways,” the officer said.