Jharkhand Man Rescues 35 Abandoned Baby Girls Over 20 Years

When Hare Ram Pandey heard faint cries in a forest near Deoghar, Jharkhand in December 2004, he could have walked away. Instead, he rushed toward the sound and found a newborn baby girl abandoned and covered in ants.

Pandey carried the infant to a hospital where doctors treated her for 21 days. He named her Taapsee, and she became his first daughter.

"When I found this girl, she was in a very bad condition," Pandey told The Better India. "The doctor had also lost hope, but I knew that this girl was God's gift to me and would survive."

One year later, another abandoned newborn arrived. Pandey brought her home too and named her Khushi.

That's when he realized this wasn't just a one-time act of kindness. He established Narayan Sewa Ashram, a home dedicated to abandoned girls in Jharkhand.

Over the next two decades, local police, railway authorities, and officials began calling Pandey whenever they found abandoned infant girls. He welcomed each one, eventually raising 35 daughters alongside his wife, Bhavani Kumari.

The girls don't call him "guardian" or "sir." They simply call him "Baba," which means father.

Feeding and educating a family of roughly 40 people isn't easy. Pandey farms family land, but the income struggles to cover monthly expenses that run into lakhs of rupees.

Some schools have waived tuition fees for his daughters. Local residents regularly donate food and essentials to help the family.

Despite the financial strain, Pandey ensures every girl attends school and receives healthcare. Taapsee and Khushi, his first two daughters, now aspire to become doctors.

Sunny's Take

In 2023, Pandey appeared on the Indian game show Kaun Banega Crorepati, where he shared his story with host Amitabh Bachchan and millions of viewers. The recognition moved hearts across the country, but it didn't change his mission.

He still dreams of finishing the roof on the girls' home. He wants to buy computers, a washing machine, and an inverter so his daughters can study comfortably.

Most of all, he dreams that every girl gets the future she deserves.

"I will do this till the day I die," Pandey said during the show. "I have faith and believe that we will find good people who will help us."

Not every parent is connected by blood, and Hare Ram Pandey proves that fatherhood can begin with a single choice that quietly reshapes dozens of lives.