Kathua Boy Speaks After 8 Years of Silence, Thanks to Army Doctor’s Efforts

Jammu, Aug 17: Eight-year-old Akshay Sharma from Kathua district, who had lived in silence since birth due to a cleft lip and palate, has finally spoken for the first time—thanks to the dedication of an Army doctor.

Akshay underwent surgery at the age of three but continued to struggle with speech. His parents, civilian labourers with the Army, could not afford further treatment and had nearly given up hope.

Their lives changed when Captain Saurabh Salunkhe, an Army doctor posted in the area, met Akshay and realised that speech therapy could restore his voice. With no facility available in the remote village, Capt. Salunkhe decided to learn the therapy techniques himself and personally train the child.

For eight weeks, he devoted two to three hours daily from his duty schedule, beginning with basic gargling and tongue-jaw exercises before gradually moving to nasal, oral, labial, palatal, and throat sounds. Slowly, words began to form—and eventually sentences.

The breakthrough moment came when Akshay, now a Class 3 student at Duggan High School, finally called out to his parents, leaving them in tears.

Defence PRO Lt. Col. Suneel Bartwal described the incident as “a soldier’s act of kindness that brought hope to an entire community.” He added, “This is a reminder that the Army not only guards the nation’s borders but also touches lives in extraordinary ways.”