Deoghar, Oct 15 (PTI) At the crack of dawn on ‘Mahalaya’, which marks the beginning of Durga Puja, inmates of a home for the destitute children in Jharkhand’s Deoghar district woke up to cries of a baby, who was found abandoned at the gate.
Hare Ram Pandey (67), who set up the Narayan Seva Ashram in 2009, believes this little child is a blessing from Goddess Durga.
The infant girl was welcomed in the ashram as the ‘35th Durga’ on Saturday, joining 34 other girl children, most of whom were abandoned by parents.
“We are performing ‘Kalash Sthapana’ and have named this child ‘Mahagauri’ as she blessed the ashram on ‘Navratras’. It is God who sends Durgas and Lakshmis to us,” Pandey told PTI.
Recalling how a cold December night 19 years ago proved to be the turning point in his life, he said: “I was moved when I saw an infant lying still in the bushes with ants crawling on her body. That was the first daughter I brought home after getting her treated in a hospital where she battled for life. She was welcomed by my family members.” The Narayan Seva Ashram now houses 35 girl children and a male child.
Pandey, who is set to appear on popular quiz show ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ on Monday, said: “Exactly a year later in 2005, I encountered another infant with her umbilical cord still attached… I brought her home, too. As Deoghar is a temple town, people often abandon their girl children here” There was no looking back for Pandey since then, as he set up the ashram with the help of his wife, daughter-in-law and her mother. It takes care of the food, lodging and education of all the inmates.
Pandey, who used to work as a compounder in a hospital in Bihar, managed funds for the ashram by selling ancestral land.
Many of the girls in his ashram have also appeared for competitive exams.
“Schools were not ready to admit the children without the father’s name, and so I became their father in school records. My first daughter Tapsee now studies in the higher-secondary level and second daughter Khushi dreams of becoming a doctor… I have married off four of my daughters and they are living happily with their families,” Pandey said.
“I have seen tough times at the ashram when my daughters were almost on the verge of starvation… I have had to even sell household goods to arrange for food for them, but I never lost hope and courage… Narayan Seva Ashram is my life’s mission now,” he said.
Asked about any help offered by the district administration or others, Pandey said around 10,000 kind donors have been supporting his cause by donating bags of rice and pulses.
“The administration has not lent any helping hand yet… But, somehow we manage to meet the monthly expenditure of close to Rs 1.5 lakh,” he added. PTI NAM RBT
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.