Kathua: Going beyond his call of duty, a young Indian Army doctor finally succeeded in breaking the silence that prevailed in the house of a marginalised villager from Duggan, in the Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir.
It was by chance that Captain Saurabh Salunkhe came across eight-year-old Akshay Sharma.
A bright boy otherwise, Akshay was mute, but not deaf. The child had undergone a cleft lip and palate surgery at the age of three. However, given the family’s meagre means, the follow-up therapy that generally follows after such surgeries had to be ignored. The boy’s facial defects were rectified, but he never learnt to speak.
The parents had given up hope of ever hearing their child speak, till Capt Salunkhe arrived at the scene. He carried out basic check-ups and found that with proper therapy, Akshay could learn to speak.
“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 the sounds, then words, and finally simple sentences. After months of practice, Akshay began to speak with growing confidence,” a Ministry of Defence (MoD) spokesperson said.
“The first time he called out to his parents, their eyes welled with tears. For them, it was not just a sound — it was a miracle. A dream they had buried deep in their hearts had come alive. Their home, once filled with silent prayers, now echoed with Akshay’s joyful chatter,” he added.
What began as one soldier’s act of kindness has touched an entire community. The Army doctor’s compassion has left a lasting mark in Duggan — reminding all that the Army not only guards the borders but also heals hearts, and in the most unexpected moments, brings hope where it is needed most.