With almost no means of survival and an acutely depressed 80-year-old grandmother in the name of family, these children have learnt to live in the present. When asked about her future plans, Jasbeer says, “I would like to have a job when I grow up. But that’s far. Right now, I just want to study as much as I can.”

These 12 children can easily be an inspiration for others. Despite all odds, none of them left school. Take for instance, Naresh Khan, who went to take an examination two days after his mother died. “I do not want to become a farmer. It is risky. I would rather study and have a steady job,” he says. And then there is Tharminder. His father killed himself in December 2007. “We have a debt of around Rs 2.5 lakh. My father could not even pay back the interest. Strangers used to come to our house and abuse us. They even threatened us many times. Then my father killed himself,”says Tharminder. Here he is now, just a few weeks later, hoping to turn the tables around.

Thousands of such children in Sangrur now live on the mercy of neighbours or contribution from various NGOs. When asked about their hobbies, none of them could come up with an answer. The struggle for survival takes up all their time.

But 13-year-old Salma, who has lost both her parents and lives with her brother and aunt, says, “I liked watching TV earlier. I used to watch serials. Then we had to sell it to return the loan. It was followed by our house. Now sometimes, we don’t even have enough to eat.” Ironically, Woh rehne waali mehlon kii was her favourite serial.