ANAND MAHENDROO, PAPON, SHEKHAR SUMAN & ISMAIL DARBAR CELEBRATE BIRTHDAY OF ORPHAN GIRL SULAKSHANA

Jyothi Venkatesh

It is not often that 28-year-olds burst into tears as they cut their birthday cake. But if you are Sulakshana, celebrating her first birthday ever in 28 years, cheered by family of 80 people, and friends, you sure will shed tears of happiness. So the words 80 family members caught your attention. The members we refer to are orphan kids who have come together to celebrate the birthday of one of their own. Cheering the radiant birthday girl were celebs of the likes of Anand Mahendroo, Shekhar Suman, Papon, Ismail Darbar, Shrikant Bhartiya, and Sareeka Gagan and Gagan Mahotra, who made this initiative possible."I am overwhelmed," said Sulakshana. "I was abandoned as an infant with my sister, with a note stating our names and birthdays. This is my first celebration in 28 years!"Sulakshana today dedicates her life to more orphans like her who are at times even reduced to begging on the streets once they are out of orphanages on turning major, and lends them a helping hand. But little did she expect that on turning 28, she would be adopted by the young couple Sareeka and Gagan Mahotra, who would promise to hold her hand for life! "It feels wonderful," enthuses Sulakshana unable to hold back her tears. The couple merely puts it as something each of us should do. "We did what we should as we felt that way. There is nothing that is extraordinary in our action. We simply followed our heart,"  echo Sareeka and Gagan Mahotra.This voice seems to have caught on as filmmaker-entrepreneur Anand Mahendroo not only threw open his Champak Studios in the heart of Andheri to share the sentiments of the couple, but invited his friends to join the children and welcoming them into his fold."It feels beautiful. Such initiatives turn this concrete jungle into homes with warm hearts,. There should be more such initiatives and we all should wholeheartedly participate," says an emotional Anand Mahendroo. Shekhar Suman, Papon, Shrikant Bhartiya and Ismail Darbar who oblige enthusiastic selfies amid  conversations only agree in unison.

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Tags: Bollywood, Bollywood News, Bollywood Updates, Television, Telly News, Anand Mahendroo, Shekhar Suman, Papon, Ismail Darbar, Shrikant Bhartiya, Sareeka Gagan, Gagan Mahotra, Sulakshana