LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Father Bablu Jatav has been carrying his one-month-old daughter, Damini, in a cloth sling around his neck since his wife Shanti died shortly after giving birth to her. "Shanti died soon after delivering the baby at the hospital on September 20," Jatav says.

The 38-year-old father says he was forced to take the baby to work with him in Bharatpur city everyday because he has no other relatives to care for her.

"Since then there has been no-one to look after my daughter, I keep her with me even when I pull my rickshaw," he explains.

Fate threw he family yet another unexpected twist when baby Damini was rushed to hospital in Jaipur city after she became critically ill.

In intensive care, she was admitted with septicaemia, anemia and severe dehydration. The newborn baby girl is now on the mend and said to be in a stable condition.

Jatav was married to his wife for 15 years before she passed away after giving birth to their daughter.

"We had this baby after 15 years of our marriage, my wife was so happy when we were blessed with a daughter, but it is very sad she passed away."

Since then, Jatav has been overwhelmed by offers of help after his story emerged in the media. It's believed the Indian authorities are now stepping in to help Jatav after hearing of his plight.

The Rickshaw is the world's oldest form of wheeled transportation and in India today Rickshaws are still a major method of taxi style transportation for people taking short journeys. Multitudes ride them to and from work. Business people going to appointments use them. Women travel on them for shopping and children going to and from school ride on Rickshaws.

They are also used for moving goods and courier jobs. The government promotes their use as they are non-polluting. According to official records over 7 million Rickshaws are in use in India today.

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