NZ pitching in for 'chicken boy'

Sujit Kumar loves finger painting and is starting to learn colours. Picture / Dean Purcell

FIJI - The misshapen and quiet figure of Sujit Kumar is not a likely poster boy for international co-operation.

But Sujit, the "chicken boy" of Fiji whose discovery captured headlines around the world in 2003, is about to move into a beautiful colonial home in Suva restored last month by an international working-bee including New Zealanders.

He will join 19 other boys, abandoned, orphaned or abused, in a new boys home, a joint project between Suva Rotary and the Fiji Government.

Sujit is now spending his days in the grand old house immersed in a pre-school type of developmental programme, which the Herald was invited to observe.

The "toddler man", as his foster mother, Elizabeth Clayton, refers to him, turned 34 on October 4 last year.

"Thirty-four going on four," she says.

The woman who rescued him from an old people's home in Suva where he was tied to a bed for 22 years oozes affection for him and excitement at his progress. Sujit had been tied to a bed because he was considered unmanageable. As a boy he had been forced to live in a chicken coop, deprived of human care, from age 1 to 8.

His parents dead, his grandfather had left him to fend for himself with the chooks. Welfare officers took him to the old folks home.

The superintendent of the old people's home told Ms Clayton that when he was found, he would hop around like a chicken, peck at his food on the ground, perch and make a noise like the calling of a chicken. He preferred to roost than sleep in a bed.

When we arrive at the home, Sujit is sitting at a table playing with blocks. His face is actually almost completely unexpressive. Then Ms Clayton arrives and he breaks out in a big toothless smile. He lunges at her for a hug. There is affectionate touching of his cheek and joshing of him by her.

He began therapy in July 2003 and Ms Clayton, a former behavioural psychologist, lists his advances.

He laughs and cries now and never used to. He walks up steps when he used to crawl. He didn't used to have favourite foods and now he does.

"He likes eggs but he doesn't like carrots, which is great because he is deciding between things.

"One thing I love is he is starting to experience pain and touch. You can tickle the bottom of his feet now and he responds whereas before he never responded. His sensitivity is coming back whereas before there was so much pain in his early life he probably didn't recognise what pain is."

He doesn't talk but sometimes he makes the sound "oy, oy".

He loves the new house, a sprawling residence with mahogany floors and double-doors opening to the outdoors. Formerly dilapidated, it is a Government-owned property that was the residence of the widow of a stately Ratu, Sir Lala Sukuna.

"The work done there by New Zealanders was just overwhelming," Ms Clayton says.

About 300 or 400 volunteers took part in the "extreme makeover" of the house, including the tactical police force, the military and the Fiji sevens team.

Ms Clayton, an expat Australian who moved to Fiji in 1989, is moving Sujit into the home because "I'm getting older and there's got to be a time when someone beyond me takes him."

Ms Clayton, a former Suva Rotary president, credits New Zealand Principal Family Court Judge Peter Boshier as being one of the driving forces behind the new home. While working in Fiji two years ago, he and the local chief magistrate, Balram, alerted Rotary to the poor condition of the Government boys centre.

Suva Rotary, which runs the Sujit Foundation to help to rehabilitate Sujit, last year took up the project for a new boys home. New Zealanders and companies such as Laminex, Pak'N Save, Ezibuy, Wet'N Forget and Sunshine Books became involved through Auckland Rotary.

"I know you've got your problems in New Zealand," Ms Clayton says, "but it's just wonderful that your colleagues are willing to look at an international project as well."

* Inquiries in New Zealand: opieclan@ihug.co.nz