Operation Shanti - Our Kids


Our Kids (presented in the order we met them. * = further links. green = at Karunya Mane)

Pallavi*	Vishnu	Sumitra*	Prema*
She and brother Vishnu were the first street kids we met. Tomboyish, adorable, and quite huggable. Lives at Karunya Mane with brother Vishnu; attends nearby private school. Born March 10, 2001.	Just a three-month old when we met him and mom Sushila. Mischievous little one with the biggest sweet tooth.Now lives at Karunya Mane and attends private school. Born August 15, 2005.	Born on the street and now lives with us at Karunya Mane and attends a nearby private school. Family includes brother Venkatesh, sister Prema, brother Mohan, mom Kumari, grannie Rachamma. Born May 14, 2000.	Smart and sensitive, but often neglected by her mom as the middle female child. A really good girl. Now living at Karunya Mane and attends a nearby private school. Born February 12, 1998.

Venkatesh	Latta*	Asha*	big Nanjunda*
Good kid who likes to protect the smaller ones, and truly Mom's boy. Lived for years on the street with mom and siblings. Now lives at Karunya Mane and attends a nearby private school. Born October 20, 1996.	Staying with us at Karunya Mane and attends a nearby private school. Usd to live on the street with her family--sister Jyothi, mom Lakshmi, dad Lakshman, grannie Rachamma. Loves to hug and dance and act. Born April 5, 2001.	Now with us at Karunya Mane after a rough life on the street and with relatives. Orphaned in 2006 when her mom died. Attends a nearby private school. Smart and resourceful, very creative. Born February 23, 1993.	Featured in the film Goonda. Bright and sometimes lazy about his homework. Lives at Karunya Mane and attends nearby private school. Born April 6, 1995.

Darshan	Jyothi	little Nanjunda	Ganesha
Had spent most of his life living on the street, and battling health issues, and is fInally getting better. Loves to tease and be teased. Family includes brother Umesh, mom Kavitha, dad Rudra. Lives at Karunya Mane. Born April 27, 2005.	The little princess. Born malnourished and underweight on the street. Jyothi is now living at Karunya Mane, is a chubby and very happy, well-behaved sweetheart of a little girl. Born June 18, 2005.	Completely lovable, shy yet outgoing at the same time. Wears his emotions on his sleeve. Difficult family life, and now staying at Karunya Mane and attending school. Born September 1, 2004.	Grew up in a children's shelter then spent a year on the street at age 11, selling tea after mom pulled him out. We cleaned her up, helped her find work, and then she put Ganesha back at the shelter, where he is today attending school, and wants to study to be an engineer.

Manikanta	Devaraj	Harish	Baby Darshan
We've known Manikanta since early 2006. He used to run away from home after his mom beat him whenever he failed to bring home any money. Now lives Karunya Mane and is attending a nearby private school. Born October 23, 1999.	Sweet little Devaraj, shy until he gets to know you. Lost his dad several years ago, and lost his mom in October 2008. Lived on the street with his mom and brother Harish for years. Now lives at Karunya Mane with Harish and attends a nearby private school. Born January 3, 2001.	One of our more serious boys, often with a pensive look on his face. Lived on the street for years with mom and brother Devaraj. Dad died a long time ago, and mom died in October 2008. Harish swept floors at a store for money to buy food. Now lives at Karunya Mane and excels in school. Born August 29, 1997.	Little brother of Saumya and Surya. Healthy and happy, and almost walking. Mom begs while her children play on the street. Dad leaves his family for months on end, and mom tries her best to take care of her little ones when he's gone.

Saumya	Surya	Apu	Kaleem
Saumya, along with brothers Surya and Darshan, spend the day on the street while mom begs for a living, then goes home in the evening. Now living at Karunya Mane with brother Surya and attending private school. Born June 1, 2005.	Surya used to watch over his sister and little brother while mom begged on the street. A very smart and happy boy, Surya now lives at Karunya Mane and is an excellent student in school. Born March 5, 2003.	Apu and his sister lived on and off the street with their mom and dad. Apu, four years old in 2007, is an adorable, happy boy who loves hugs. With difficult parents, helping Apu is sometimes challenging.	The last of twelve kids, Kaleem lived on the street with his grandma, mom and dad, and niece (Parveen) and nephew (Imran). A very polite and well-mannered boy, Kaleem is at Karunya Mane, continuing his education. Born May 6, 1998.

Imran	Parveen	Mohan	Sreenevasa
Little Imran has grown from a skinny nine-month-old when we met him into a healthy little boy, now developing his own feisty personality. He is now at Karunya Mane, and attends tiny tots school. Born December 2, 2005.	Imran's older sister, Parveen is starting tiny tots school and is staying at Karunya Mane. Grandma wants her at the shelter because Parveen often wanders away while she is working selling vegetables on the street. Born February 2, 2004.	The littlest brother of Venkatesh, Prema, and Chumi, little Mohan is an outgoing, very independent, bold boy with lots of love to share with everyone around him. We recently admitted him to pre-nursery school. Valentine's Day baby, born February 14, 2006.	Orphaned in 2007 when his mom died, Sreenevasa lived on the street with his brother Krishna for years, selling pens and other trinkets to earn enough money for food. A happy, mild-mannered boy, Sreenevasa is now at Karunya Mane to continue his education and wants to learn computers. Born June 25, 1996.

Lokesh	Amita	big Pooja	Sharath
Attended boarding school last year and is at Karunya Mane to continue his education. Mother is a street vendor. Likes hanging out with his friends Venkatesh and Nanjunda, and is quite good at math. Born September 23, 1994	Lokesh's younger sister, finally came to Karunya Mane, after her parents wouldn't allow her to--we suspect it's because she helped with household chores, as is often the case for girls like Amu. Now attends private school with the other kids. Born November 23, 1996.	Pooja is from a very poor background, and her mom works hard to provide for her kids. Mom got little help from her husband except for frequent beatings, and has since left him. Pooja is a thoughtful girl who excels in school. She is continuing her education with us at Karunya Mane, where mom is also a volunteer. Born October 13, 1999.	Sharath is at Karunya Mane with his sisters Pooja and Shwetha, and is continuing his education at a nearby private school. Sharath dearly loves mom, and is often sad when she leaves after a visit. Born April 10, 1998.

Shwetha	Raju	Umesh	Jamaka
Shwetha is Pooja and Sharath's little sister and stays with them at Karunya Mane, along with the other little girls she has befriended. Shwetha loves to drink Pepsi and eat biscuits! Born March 15, 2002.	Raju's mom Sushila begs for a living, and we see this little one every so often, when they need a meal or when they get sick. We recently helped mom admit Raju to school, so that he can begin his education and stay off the streets.	Umesh is our little sumo wrestler, born a hefty 7 pounds and has maintained quite a chubby and healthy appearance since. Very happy and loving little boy. Now with us at our shelter, Karunya Mane. Born June 14, 2007.	Jamaka and her friends Lakshmi, Ushanama, and Aish lives in a slum area and come to the street almost daily to beg for money, which they take home to their parents. Jamaka is the quiet one of the group.

Lakshmi	Aish	Ushanama	Sinchana
Lakshmi comes to the street with her friends to beg everyday. They do not attend school, as their parents force them to earn money instead. Lakshmi is quite outgoing and very friendly.	Aish is an outgoing, friendly girl, probably around age 10, who begs for her parents on the street. She lives in a slum area with her other friends who also beg with her on the street.	Ushanama is very quiet and shy, and well-behaved. She hangs out with her friends Aish, Lakshmi, and Jamaka almost daily on the streets of Mysore. They earn about 30 rupees each while begging.	Feisty and very independent, Sinchana is Reeta's little girl. Reeta abducted her daughter from school in early 2009 and has failed to return her. We can only hope that she is OK. Born March 5, 2005.

Arvinda	Ananda	Shanti	Divya
Arvind lived on the streets with his brother Anand and their mom before coming to Karunya Mane, as mom could not afford rent. Arvind is a little quieter than Anand, and is enjoying school with our other kids. Born April 15, 2003.	Anand lived on the streets with his brother Arvind and their mom, as mom could not afford her rent. Anand is slightly older and not as shy as Arvind. Anand enjoys watching movies and doing his homework. Born January 25, 2002.	Shanti was referred by Vishnu's and Pallavi's mom, who is neighbors with her and her mom in their slum area. Shanti's mom is alone, as her husband left her a long time ago. She works cleaning pots and pans at a small restaurant. Shanti is with us at Karunya Mane, and is attending the nearby school. Born May 10, 1998.	Divya's dad heard about our street program and brought her one day to meet us. Her mom died a long time ago, and it's just her and dad. They rented a house a year ago, but hard times caused them to lose it, and they've been sleeping on the streets since. Divya attended school last year, and at Karunya Mane she now has a chance to continue her education. Born January 21, 2002.

Jeevan	Vinod	Netravati	Swarana
Jeevan is Asha's cousin, and lived with his mom and little brother in a grass shack in a slum area of Mysore. Jeevan now stays at Karunya Mane, and is good friends with the other little boys his age. His teachers say that he has an amazing memory. Born June 22, 2004.	Vinod comes from a family of six kids and their parents work hard to support them. Our mom Kumari introduced Vinod's mom to us, saying she struggles to even feed her kids -- the evidence was obvious in how skinny her kids are. Vinod, along with his sisters Netra and Swarana, stay at Karunya Mane and attend school. Born June 30, 1999.	Netravati came to Karunya Mane along with brother Vinod and little sister Swarana. Netra is very shy, yet enthusiastic in school and has made new friends at KM. She is well-behaved and has a beautiful smile. Born September 15, 2000.	Swarana is the second youngest in her family of six siblings. Mom washes pots in restaurants and dad is a laborer at the market. Swarana, outgoing and cheerfully adorable, adjusted immediately to being at Karunya Mane and her new school. Born April 5, 2003.

little Pooja	Suma	Anusha	Zaidu
Pooja is Harish's and Devaraj's little cousin. Her mom and dad don't have a house but stay with her grannie in a slum area. Pooja stays at Karunya Mane and attends school. Born April 3, 2004.	Suma was found on the streets of Mysore after her parents left her there. She's never gone to school, and stayed at Karunya Mane from January 2009 until February 2010, when she was transferred to the government home for girls, for extra counseling.	Anusha lived with her grannie in a slum area of Mysore until she came to Karunya Mane in February 2009. Her mom died at childbirth and dad ran away to marry another woman. Born January 12, 2004.	Zaidu used to live on the street with his mom Shahina, and brothers Ruman and Salman. Mom is the second wife to their dad, who won't let her stay in his house. Mom begs and sells vegetables for a living, and we recently helped her rent a house, and admitted Zaidu into pre-nursery school.

Vijayalakshmi	Vinuta	Gowtham	Lalita
Vijayalakshmi's mom was left alone after dad died a few years ago. Mom works at a factory, earning daily wages, and had difficulty cariing for her two girls. Vijayalakshmi is very smart and well-behaved, and happy at Karunya Mane, where she and sister Vinuta live and attend private school. Born November 19, 2002.	Vinuta stays with sister Vijayalakshmi at Karunya Mane. She is a little more mischevious than her older sister, and is quite a good hugger! She's attending school along with her new friends. Born March 12, 2005.	Gowtham is little Jeevan's brother and Asha's cousin. He lived with his mom in a slum area of Mysore until coming to Karunya Mane. Gautham is initially shy, but brightens up after a few minutes, and talks a lot. Born December 17, 2005.	Little Lalita is the younger sister to Vinod, Netra, and Swarana, and joined them at Karunya Mane after a year. Lalita is very quiet but fiercely independent and strong-willed. She has cute dimples when she smiles. Born August 27, 2005.

Tunmai	baby Venkatesh	Adarsh	Ameena
Tunmai stays at Karunya Mane, and was brought to us by social workers. Mom is incapable of taking care of her, and Tunmai was found at a bus station. Dad is nowhere to be found. Tunmai is very cute, very talkative, and has a beautiful smile. Born May 1, 2005.	Baby Venkatesh was born on February 16, 2009. His mom Banu lives on the street with his dad, Rajesh. It is a difficult situation, as Banu is very young, at most 18 years old, but she does a nice job taking care of baby. Baby Venkatesh's great-grandma is Kaveriamma.	In mid-2009, this little boy's mom abandoned him and a social worker brought him to us. Nobody knew his name, so we named him "Adarsh," which means "perfection" or "ideal." Adarsh was probably born in 2007.	Ameena lives in a village near Mysore. Her dad is a day laborer, and she has a brother and sister. We help Ameena with school expenses, and some medicine as she suffers from unexplained seizures without her medication. Ameema was born in 2005.
[photo to come]	[photo to come]
baby Lakshmana	baby Shahina
Baby Lakshmana was born on March 23, 2009. His mom Sushila lives with her other little boy Raju in a village near Mysore. Mom begs for a living and her husband sometimes helps her, but not often, as he has another family to care for.	Baby Shahina was born in January 2010. Her mom is positive, but was able to get the proper treatment while pregnant. Mom cleans houses for a living and is on antiretroviral therapy.

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