A new boy for Operation Shanti

Our newest boy at our children's home is Padmanabhu, a cute little 12-year-old boy from Mangalore, which is about a 10-hour trip from Mysore. Padmanabhu lost his dad and mom a few years ago, as well as his little sister Pallavi. Padmanabhu then went to live with his grandpa. Then, grandpa passed away last year and his relatives put him into a residential school in the area.

For some reason, the school decided he wasn't "fit" to be in their institution and asked the boy to leave. The relatives, who were reluctant to keep Padmanabhu with them, heard about our place in Mysore and asked if he could be admitted with us.

Sometimes, relatives who just don't want to bother with their nieces or nephews tell us all kinds of stories about why they can't keep a kid who has nobody else in his life. We really aren't sure why this happens but it happens frequently. In any event, we took Padmanabhu in at Karunya Mane because, obviously, he needs shelter and people to care for him.

At his old school, Padmanabhu was studying in 5th grade, but he'll likely start over in 3rd grade---this often happens if the kid's old school did not have a strong curriculum. We aren't concerned, Padmanabhu is an eager and very active child, and a few of our other kids have had to repeated a grade when they first come to KM---they are now excelling as students!

Padmanabhu going to school on Monday

Padmanabhu is adjusting well to life at KM, and sure does enjoy being with our 22 other boys. He's making fast friends with them, and started participating in our activities right away---karate on Sundays and Wednesdays with the other boys, and some yoga and chanting with a couple of volunteers this past Sunday.

If you'd like to sponsor Padmanabhu, please see our website: sponsor Padmanabhu!