WHO WE ARE

Hearts to Love, Hands to Serve

I remember it like it was yesterday: my grandma and I, sitting on a rickshaw and carrying 15 blankets. We were delivering these blankets to a local all-girls Sikh orphanage near our home in India.

It looked funny, almost embarrassing at the time. I was scared that somebody from my school would notice and make fun of me. Although the ride was short, it took ages.

When we arrived, I stepped down from the rickshaw and greeted the headmistress of the building. She led to the T.V. room, where about a hundred girls sat in rows and were watching a game show — the younger ones in front and the older ones in the back. The headmistress called 15 of them outside on the porch and directed me to give each of my blankets to one girl. I proceeded.

After completing my chore, I was tired and felt indifferent. It was then that I noticed a little girl, cautiously peering over the door. As I moved forward to have a look, she ran away. Upon inquiring about this little girl from the headmistress, I found that her name was Asees*, a girl given up by her father.

She caught my interest, and I asked more about her. She had a sweet tooth and was a big fan of Dairy Milk Bubbly, a bar of local milk chocolate, and it just happened to be that Dairy Milk Bubbly was my favorite too. I pulled out one from my little purse and found her in a corner, too shy to speak. With a warm smile on my face, I handed her the bar.

“Thank you, Didi,” she said in a quiet and shy manner.

She’d called me her sister. Nobody had called me that before.

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I lived in India with my grandparents until I was twelve years ago, and ever since I can remember, my grandma and I visited this orphanage regularly. Over time, I developed not only a financial relationship with them but also an emotional one.

No dictionary has enough words to describe what I felt when I’d given Asees her first chocolate, that smile on her face. I felt like a superhero. It hit me at that very moment: I am responsible for that smile. This sense of responsibility had me charged up.

That was the very moment when I’d thought of Gur Aasra USA, inspired by the name of the orphanage, Gur Aasra Trust.

I wanted to raise awareness and highlight the atrocities of the girls at this orphanage. Asees was not the only one in gross need. Some girls had been left on the doorstep, abandoned due to girl child stigma.

After moving to the U.S., I helped by sending clothes, blankets, candy, and more necessities to the children but still felt empty. I couldn’t be there physically, because of my summer schedule, my work, my research projects. So, I started penning this idea of an entity, a group that would help me give back to my local community in the United States and also orphanages in India, especially aiding girls, who are treated as a burden in India. I wanted to build a channel, using my grandma’s previous work as a foundation, where anyone could contribute and change as many lives they can.

I wasn’t until January 2018 when I officiated my long term relationship with Gur Aasra Trust through my group, Gur Aasra USA.

I presently support two little girls, including Asees. I try to be there for them, financially and emotionally. All expenses for this group come from my job income. I have also expanded my work from just Gur Aasra Trust to other shelters and nonprofits in India and to local shelters and organizations in the United States.

They say money can’t buy happiness, but it sure can make a difference and provide necessary resources. In addition, the emotional relationship that I’ve built with Asees is one that I hold very close to my heart. She has become a little sister that I never had.

Keeping up with the tempo of selfless care, I wish this initiative, Gur Aasra USA, takes a larger leap.

*changed names