New Delhi:
Fourteen-year-old Johnny's home is a pavement corner. He had recently run away from his family in Meerut, escaping years of sexual abuse. But Delhi landed him literally on the roads.
"I tried staying at a children's home, but it's worse. So I returned to the road," said Johnny.
Johnny was on his own till the winter set in and he needed support. He found no night shelter in Central Delhi.
Luckily, Michael D'Souza who does odd jobs with the nearby Church to bring up his sons took Johnny in.
"There should be some shelters here. It is very difficult with children, especially Johnny here, who has ran away from home. We are giving him as much support as we can," said Mr D'Souza.
Johnny might be living in a church, but 11-year-old Sonu lives in Delhi with his large family. His mother, who begs at the street corner, is barely able to provide them food, let alone warm clothes.
He has only this sweater and some sheets to guard him from the cold.
"If I feel cold, I light a bonfire and sleep next to it. If it rains, I find a plastic sheet somewhere, and use it to cover myself," Sonu said.
There is a shelter at a distance but Sonu's family rather stays here.
"There are thieves at the shelter, they may steal from us. I keep waking up during the night and hold on to a stick for safety," he said.
There are at least 50,000 children like Johnny and Sonu who live in the capital's mean streets by their wits. Their lack of defence often drags them into petty criminality and drugs. That vulnerability is tested to the maximum on a winter night.