I was plain desperate,” Gargi Bhattacharya tells mid-day over a phone call from Bhubaneswar, where she lives with her son and husband Zishan Ali. Bhattacharya lost her eldest son Zain to brain cancer in 2014, when he was 15. His passing didn’t only leave a gaping hole in the couple’s life, it also left them anxious about their younger son, Rean, then 11.

“We had thought that if anything were to happen to us, Zain would be there for Rean. Rean is a happy and peaceful child [but has been battling autism since birth]. He is entirely non-verbal and communicates only through gestures. For most part, he keeps to himself, spending his time listening to music and playing video games. He isn’t prepared to face the world alone.”