"Last time I saw my father was over a video call," said Aryan. The 15-year-old lost his mother to a heart attack in Jan 2021 and father to coronavirus only 5 months later. Read his story in this episode of our COVID Orphans series.

Orphaned by COVID, 15-Year-Old Aryan Gives Up His Dreams of Becoming a Cricketer

"Last time I saw my father was over a video call. He couldn't speak because he had an oxygen mask on," Aryan said.

Fifteen-year-old Aryan Kandekar lives with his grandmother Shashikala in the Beed district of Maharashtra. He lost his mother Meena to a heart attack following a rise in blood pressure and medical negligence in January 2021 and his father Sanjay to coronavirus only five months later at the peak of the second wave of the pandemic.

Aryan is now a COVID orphan.

The pandemic has stolen several years of his childhood. He no longer wishes to play his favourite sport, watch his favourite films or play with children his age. TDP caught up with Aryan and his grandmother and we spoke at length about how the loss of immediate family members has affected their present and future.