Video Producer: Aparna Singh & Shohini Bose
Video Editor: Rajbir Singh
Do you remember the story of Auro from Amitabh Bachchan's film 'Paa'? In the movie, 12-year-old Auro is a very intelligent and sharp-witted boy suffering from a genetic disorder called progeria. Eight-year-old Gunjan Shakyaa, living in Mazdoor Colony of Shahjahanabad, Madhya Pradesh, also has this extremely rare condition.
Gunjan had expressed her desire to become a doctor for a day, in a letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan. On Sunday, 12 December, Gunjan arrived at Chahak Hospital behind Moti Masjid donning the doctor's coat, where hospital staff and doctors greeted her with applause and showers of flowers.
She arrived at the hospital in a car, and a nameplate was also put up outside her home.
After Gunjan expressed her desire to become a doctor for a day, local social workers coordinated with an institution and a local private hospital, and got the doctor's uniform prepared for her.
The nameplate that read, 'Doctor Gunjan Shakya', was installed outside Gunjan's house. The social workers booked her a car after making all the arrangements at the private hospital. On reaching the hospital, Gunjan saw the patients admitted there and interacted with them about their illness and treatment.
Gunjan's father Gopal Shakya is a labourer and the sole breadwinner of the family. Gopal told The Quint that Gunjan looked much older than children her age because of her condition. "She is a brilliant student, but we don't have enough money for her treatment. She wants to become a doctor, but we barely have two meals a day," he said.
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