Their parents loved them with the power of a thousand suns. Aditi had a heart as big as a sunflower and her brother Aarav had that cheeky grin and was all the more adorable. He was ten years old, his sister was seven, both intelligent and kind.

They were my neighbours. I would often see the father, Abhay Sood, dancing with his children to crazy and silly music sometimes on the lawn or in the kitchen. He chased them around the house, giggling and laughing all the way playing hide & seek with his kids. Their mother, Aparna, surrounded them with love. She was their shelter, their guardian, their anchor- always fierce in their defence.

Aparna was the first victim of the pandemic, followed by her husband a couple of months later.

And Aditi and Aarav, soon started a new life with a new family at the new orphanage!