Hindu man raising a Muslim child in Lucknow

On February 2002 a tea vendor in Lucknow Aiku Lal Sandil finds a Muslim boy abandoned at a garden near his tea stall, when asked about his whereabouts the boy only remembers his name as Akbar, Aiku reports to police but the police were unable to trace the boy’s parents as there was no complain registered on missing of a three year old boy in any of the police station all over the state.

After loosing hope police advice Aiku to shift the boy to an orphanage, Aiku refuses and brings up the boy on his own, Aiku has merge income but ensures the boy gets proper education and also retains Akbar’s religion by taking him to a muslim clerk and making the child learn Quran and read Namaz daily. Soon a lovely relationship blossoms between a hindu man and a muslim boy and they both form a family of their own.

But their world turns upside down when the boy’s niological parents turn up and seek the custody of boy, but the boy refuses saying Aiku is his father-mother and wants to stay with aiku, but the boy’s biological parents go to court to claim akbar’s custody. But court pronounces judgement in favor of Aiku and acknowledges aiku’s upbringing of the boy by retaining his religion and providing education. During court proceedings we get insights about the life of aiku as how he was brought up with love an care by a Muslim family in spite of him being a Hindu.


“I am a Hindu brought up by a kind Muslim man. When I found Akbar, it was like God telling me that it is time to return the love and care I got from His people. I was never forced to change my religion and, having got that education from my guardian, it was my duty to take care of the child and bring him up as per his own religion,” Sandil says.

I got to know about this story through Crime Patrol