They're under the care of 45-year-old Reny George. "Daddy", as he's called by these children, is a former convict who's now working for their betterment. He's the guardian of at least 30 children whose parents are serving prison terms in Bangalore, Belgaum and Mysore, and a few others whose parents have been victims of crime. Reny set up the Precious Children's Home in 1996, a year after he completed a 14-year sentence for murder during his student days. "Those days are over. I'm doing my duty as a citizen," says Reny, emphasising how he's working to erase the stigma that haunts children of prisoners. Most of these children were either languishing in jail along with their parents, or were under the care of relatives in remote villages. Some were denied admission in schools because of their parents' criminal status; few others had to drop out because no one would pay their fees.