# Hearing my child call me ‘Abba’ is what brings me true happiness. He is very bright and can remember anything after hearing it once. Even if Allah did not give him healthy hands or legs, He gifted him with an exceptional mind.

> Golkhali, the southernmost village of Khulna’s Koyra upazila, lies between river, forest, and embankment. Seven-year-old Siyam Hossain, born without hands and unable to walk normally, lives there. Despite his disability…

Published: 2026-01-07 · Desk: Latest · Source: Prothom Alo

Golkhali is the southernmost village of Koyra upazila in Khulna. Beyond this village, there is no human settlement. Once you pass the last house, the Arpangasia River appears, and across it stretches the vast forest of the Sundarbans. Life here exists between three forces—river, forest, and embankment.

On the afternoon of January 1, while walking along the embankment beside the Arpangasia River, a boat resting on the riverbank catches the eye. Sitting on the boat is a child who looks different at first glance. A closer look reveals that both of his arms are missing below the elbows, and one of his feet is attached close to his thigh. Yet he sits calmly on the boat.

Approaching him, it is learned that the child’s name is Siyam Hossain. He is seven years old. On the deck of a nearby boat, his father, Alaul Islam, is repairing wooden planks. Siyam watches silently, as if the sounds and sights are deeply familiar to him.

Pausing his work, Alaul says, “My son has been like this since birth. He can’t walk normally, and he has no hands. There’s no treatment for something he was born with. As a father, what choice do I have except to accept it? Still, when I hear him call me ‘Abba,’ that alone is my happiness.”

Siyam cannot move like other children. Sitting on the ground, he pushes his body forward using one leg. Despite this, he regularly attends the local government primary school. Alaul proudly says, “My son is very intelligent. He memorizes lessons after hearing them just once. Allah may not have given him good hands or legs, but He gave him a sharp mind.”

When Alaul repairs his boat, Siyam comes and sits beside him, watching closely. Even today, he came alone from home to the riverbank. He climbed onto the boat using his chest and upper arms, and he will be able to get down by himself as well.

Alaul Islam earns his living in the Sundarbans, sometimes fishing, sometimes catching crabs. The boat and nets are his own. His house stands on a small piece of land beside the embankment. He owns nothing more than that, yet there is no regret in his voice. “I don’t want anyone to pity my son,” he says. “Even if someone wants to help us in the name of charity, I won’t take it.”

Midway through the conversation, Alaul suddenly stops and looks at Siyam. “When my son comes home and says, ‘Ma, I want rice,’ or ‘Abba, I want to bathe,’ those words make us forget all our hardships,” he says softly. “I ask only one thing from Allah—that He keeps my body healthy so I can work hard and do something for my son, so that he never has to beg from anyone in the future.”

As the tide begins to rise in the Arpangasia River, Siyam sits on the boat, quietly watching his father. He has no complaints. Beside him is a father for whom a child’s disability is not a burden, but whose very existence is the greatest joy of all.

Original reporting: https://www.prothomalo.com/bangladesh/district/bf3089vk1h?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign&utm_content=ap_bqk7b0ex31
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