At noon on Monday, she was sitting on the footpath ? lonely, hungry and crying for her mother. Same time Tuesday, she was sleeping peacefully at her new home.

For the two-year-old girl abandoned by her mother at the intersection of Chawlpatti Road and Beleghata Main Road, life has taken a dramatic turn. After being taken to Beleghata police station from the footpath, she was shifted to a centre run by CINI-ASHA, a voluntary organisation.

She is sharing a room with 15 children like her. She took part in the morning prayers at 6.30 am with the other kids and then had her breakfast of fruits, bread and milk.

Later, she played with the children. ?She has already made friends here,? said an official of the NGO. Apart from playing with toys and a ball, she also tried her hand at drawing. ?She was given a slate, on which she scribbled for a long time,? the official added. After lunch, she took a nap.

?The girl has stopped crying, but is sometimes looking for her mother,? an official said. ?She has not been able to tell us her name.?

One of the volunteers observed: ?We are not pressuring her too hard. Otherwise, it will have an adverse effect on her mind. She is being allowed to settle down and adjust to the new environment.?

After a few days, a counsellor will have a one-on-one session with her and try to find out about her family. ?If we can get any information, the police station concerned will be informed immediately,? the volunteer added.

On Monday, Beleghata?s residents had seen a woman sitting at the crossing with the girl, before she was found abandoned, wrapped in a piece of cloth. A traffic constable and a few residents kept an eye on the girl for close to two hours. They tried to feed her sweets, but she refused. A team from Beleghata police station then took her away.

An official of CINI-ASHA said the girl has to be produced before the Child Welfare Commission, if her parents are not traced. ?According to the Juvenile Justice Act, 2000, if the family of a lost or abandoned child cannot be traced, the government becomes its guardian,? he explained.