In a small alley on the outskirts of Lucknow, everyone knows Mr. Babulal – a thin, stooped man in his 70s – who works hard every day to take care of his orphaned granddaughter Anaya, who is only 10 years old. Anaya’s father works far away in Mumbai, and her mother died before she could remember her face. Her grandfather is the only one who supports her.
The entire neighborhood feels a sense of warmth as they see each other’s support. Every morning, he holds Anaya’s hand and helps her to the end of the alley to catch an auto-rickshaw to school; at noon, he tries to prepare dal and roti and then helps her with the chores. The grandfather’s love for his granddaughter is evident to everyone.
However, one warm afternoon in early autumn, their neighbor Mrs. Lata and was surprised by a scene that made her shiver.
The door of Babulal’s house was open. She was about to go in to call him, when she heard him whisper in a trembling voice:
“Anaya, don’t sleep… Wake up, don’t be afraid of your grandfather…”
Through the crack in the door she saw how he hugged his granddaughter tightly, trembling, calling her over and over again, while the little girl lay still, her face pale. Mrs. Lata was cold, her heart pounding. Terrible thoughts crossed her mind: an old man alone at home with his granddaughter, and now she was unconscious in his arms—what a strange sight!
Without thinking too much, she dialed 112 with trembling hands to report the “signs of danger” at the neighbor’s house, and asked for a patrol car and an ambulance from 108 to come.
Ten minutes later the police and ambulance arrived. The entire alley fell into chaos. The curious crowd was full of people, whispering suspiciously,
“Did the old man do something to the girl?”
“Oh my God, it looks really bad…”
The door opened. Before her eyes, Mr. Babulal held Anaya in his arms; His face was drenched in sweat and his eyes were red. When he saw the doctors and police, he cried out in despair:
“Save my daughter! She has been unconscious since morning, I shook her and she did not wake up.”
The medical staff immediately looked at her. After a few minutes, they sighed with relief:
“The girl has severe hypoglycemia, she needs to be taken to the hospital immediately.”
The people were stunned. Suspicions turned to shame. They all looked at each other and regretted their bad thoughts towards the old man.
Tears welled up in Babulal’s eyes. Trembling, he followed the stretcher:
“I am poor, I have no money to buy him nutritious food… This morning he told me that it was full, I thought it was true, how could I have imagined this…?”
At KGMU University Hospital in Lucknow, after receiving emergency care on time, Anaya gradually regained consciousness. The girl opened her tired eyes, looked at her grandfather and whispered:
“Don’t cry, I am fine… I am just tired.”
He hugged her tightly. His throat tightened:
“Grandpa was so scared… I thought I had lost you. “Grandpa, I am alone by your side…”
The doctor explained: Anaya suffered from congenital type 1 diabetes, she needed a special diet and constant blood glucose control; Otherwise, severe hypoglycemia was inevitable. Hearing this, Babulal was shocked: she was old, weak, poor, and now she was faced with her grandson’s illness, which further complicated things.
At that moment, Mrs. Lata came over and held her hand tightly:
“Forgive me for the confusion… but thank God the ambulance arrived on time. From now on you will not be alone. The whole neighborhood will take care of her.”
She looked at him and saw the seriousness in his eyes. He nodded slightly; His eyes were still trembling but he felt warmth in his heart.
After that incident, the neighbors began to shower more love on Anaya: some gave rice, others money; the pharmacist gave strips to measure glucose, the social worker explained how to act in the face of hypoglycemia; The school organized special meals and trained teachers to recognize the symptoms and respond in time.
Over time, the story faded, but every time Mrs. Lata remembered her first suspicion, when