For Nitai Das, life had no meaning, with nowhere to go and nothing to eat. However, now there is a ray of hope for Nitai and 32 other inmates of Kishalay, a home in Barasat, North 24-Parganas, for destitutes up to the age of 18, thanks to a food product-manufacturing company.

The 33 inmates, whose collective future was thrown into uncertainty after the Kishalay management, at the behest of the government, asked them to leave, as they were too old to stay on with minor boys, have been provided shelter by Biswas Agro Limited, a company based in Salt Lake.

In an order issued on February 18, the authorities of Kishalay asked all inmates aged above 18 to vacate the premises within 10 days. Last June, the home authorities issued a fresh order asking 33 youths to leave. Eight left by January.

Finally, last Sunday, home superintendent A. Samajder served an ultimatum on the rest and threatened to call in the police to oust them. Ever since, the youths had been staging demonstrations, demanding that they be allowed to stay on in the home. They had started a fast-unto-death at the home's entrance on Tuesday morning. During the protest, 27-year-old Mokhter Sheikh stabbed himself in the belly and is fighting for his life. Despite their protest, the youths were ousted by a team from Barasat police station on Wednesday night.

?We had nowhere to go, nothing to eat. We spent our night under the open sky in the neighbourhood,? said Goutam Saha, one of the ousted inmates. Saha, a first-year B.Com. student, on Thursday moved to Habra to complete his exam.

The others loitered outside the home. Around 10.30 am, Subrata Chatterjee of the company arrived there.

?We came to know the about their helplessness from the newspapers and decided to induct them into our workforce to manufacture jam, jellies and sauces. We are in need of hands and they need jobs,? Chatterjee later said.

Those who were studying will be helped by the company to sit for their exams and complete their studies.

The district authorities breathed a sigh of relief, as the crisis was resolved. ?We are happy that these boys have found a shelter. We are bound by law and had to take the stern decision,? said Manoj Pant, district magistrate of North 24-Parganas.