Hare Ram Pandey, founder of Narayan Seva Ashram in Deoghar, Jharkhand, has dedicated his life to rescuing abandoned infant girls from streets, garbage dumps, and fields, raising over 35 of them as his own daughters.
A Heartbreak That Sparked a Life’s Mission
In many parts of rural India, deep-seated patriarchal mindsets, poverty, and social stigma surrounding female children have historically led to severe gender discrimination. In extreme cases, newborn girls were quietly abandoned shortly after birth. left in cold fields, roadside bushes, railway platforms, or deserted alleys.
Over two decades ago, Hare Ram Pandey was visiting the holy town of Deoghar in Jharkhand when he witnessed this heartbreaking reality firsthand. Near Baba Baidyanath temple, he discovered a newborn baby girl left abandoned in the bushes, covered in ants and fighting for her life. Unable to turn a blind eye, he rushed her to a hospital, paid for her treatment, and took her into his home with his wife, Bhawani Devi. Soon after, when another abandoned infant girl was rescued nearby, Pandey resolved that no innocent child under his watch would die due to neglect or gender bias.
Founding Narayan Seva Ashram: A Father’s Refuge
To give structure and safety to his mission, Hare Ram Pandey established the Narayan Seva Ashram Trust in Krishnapuram, Deoghar. The ashram was built not merely as an orphanage, but as a loving, permanent home. Whenever news reached him of an abandoned infant in nearby villages, stations, or forests across Jharkhand, Pandey rushed to rescue the child, ensuring immediate medical treatment and care.
Rather than acting as an institutional administrator, Pandey took on the role of a devoted father. He took legal guardianship of the rescued girls, giving them his own surname on official identity documents and caring for their every physical, medical, and emotional need. Over the course of three decades, he rescued and raised 35 abandoned girls (alongside three boys), nurturing each one with unconditional fatherly love.
Nurturing Dreams: Education, Pride, and Independence
Pandey’s vision extended far beyond basic survival; he was determined to shatter the stigma associated with orphanhood and gender. He ensured that every single one of his daughters received quality education, encouraging them to pursue higher studies in medicine, civil services, and academics.
Inside Narayan Seva Ashram, birthdays were celebrated, festivals were filled with joy, and every daughter was raised with a strong sense of self-respect. As they grew into adulthood, Pandey took full responsibility for arranging their marriages into supportive families, performing traditional wedding rituals as a proud father, and providing them with lifelong emotional backing.
Overcoming Financial Hardship and Social Skepticism
Building a sanctuary for 35 children without stable institutional funding was an immense battle. In the initial years, Pandey faced acute financial scarcity, going house-to-house daily just to secure food supplies for the kids.
To fund their housing, medical care, and education expenses, Pandey sold all of his personal land. His moral conviction eventually won over the local community and national audience, leading to widespread support after he was featured on national programs like Kaun Banega Crorepati with Amitabh Bachchan.
Hare Ram Pandey’s extraordinary social service highlights an unmatched legacy of a single father who restored life, honor, and hope to 35 girls. Today, several of his daughters are happily married, working in respectable professions, and leading independent lives, while continuing to look up to “Babuji” as their ultimate anchor.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Female infanticide and child abandonment represent profound moral failures in society. The story of Hare Ram Pandey in Deoghar demonstrates how one individual’s unwavering moral conviction can counter centuries of gender prejudice. By stepping up when society turned its back, Pandey did not just save 35 lives, he built a living testament to the equal worth and infinite potential of the girl child. Real social change requires individuals and communities to actively stand against gender-based discrimination and ensure every child is welcomed into the world with love, safety, and opportunity.
How can local administration and community networks strengthen rural child protection systems to eliminate female child abandonment entirely?
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