Aashray Society

Shailender, a regular glowing face in all the Aashray activities, is a super intelligent boy studying in class 2nd in a nearby private school. His family hails from Sagar in Madhya Pradesh and his parents came to Noida when he was barely 2 years old. Having encountered many problems in the traditional agricultural work back in their village, Shailender’s family moved to the city primarily in search of better living conditions.

Both of his parents began as daily wage labourers, but his mother has now shifted to working as a domestic help in the nearby colonies. Their combined income, however, still fails to cover up their basic expenses of living in such a big city. Despite all of these problems, young Shailendra has taken a pechant to reading English books, painting, cricket and any other activity that challenges him. He even wants to grow up and become a fireman one day, and shows all signs of determination to work towards his dream!

Just like his younger brother Shailender, Hemu is also a very intelligent and curious boy. His impatience helps him in coming first in everything – which is what he always wants to be! A student of class 5th in the nearby private school, Hemu has shown immense growth since he joined Aashray three years ago.

An active kid, he starts his day early with a morning walk and mandatory play time before heading over to school. He doesn’t miss an opportunity to play outdoor games like football and cricket, which are his favourites – and loves the occasional round of chess. One can usually spot him cooking up some mischief with his younger brother and other friends, but our small buddy here has some serious plans for the future- he wants to join the army and serve our country one day!

Suman is a very enthusiastic and intelligent girl who loves to keep learning new things. Suman’s family is from Katihar, Bihar and her father is a gardner. She was born in Noida, as her family happened to move here just before she was born. She has two sisters and a brother, and has been coming to the Aashray society right from the beginning.

Being one of the older faces in her class, she has taken a liking to poems and stories of all kinds. She will even chalk out the cutest doodles with the utmost dedication when you sweetly ask her to! A known ludo and kho-kho champ at Aashray, she is a lively presence for everyone - from her friends right to her teachers! Her ambition in life is to become a teacher, and she is practicing her aim by sometimes teaching the younger lot.

Nibha, again one of the older faces at Aashray, is the oldest of six children in her family. Her father passed away when her youngest sister was still an infant and since then she has been supporting her single mother, who is also the sole bread winner for the family. They live in a makeshift shack.

Nibha’s family comes from Bihar and her mother works very hard to keep her children in school. Nibha loves being with her mother and helping her out by doing household chores. She is a role model for all her younger brother and sisters. Her daily routine starts with making food for her family and preparing her siblings and herself for school.

But her dedication isn’t limited to her home, and she seems to be a keen learner everywhere she goes! At Aashray, one can usually spot her in a pair of pigtails with her books at the back of the class, trying to make her way through the lessons on her own. Nibha is always up for engaging tasks, stories and help of any sort- and will give you the most sparkling of smiles after having completed her work!

The oldest of the Aashray lot under Saksham, Rizwana has four sisters and one brother. Her family has migrated from Aligrarh – her father works as a tailor and mother works as a domestic help. While taking charge of her familial duties over the years, Rizwana has always kept alive the will to study. She now studies at a government school nearby, and is proficient in Hindi, English and Mathematics as subjects.

A quick learner and a visionary in the making, she has realised at a young age the problems faced by many disadvantaged groups in the society, and aims to work towards helping them. Apart from these, she is also good at basketball and badminton, and is always up for a good conversation where you can answer all her constant doubts!

Ravi, an enthusiastic class 3rd student, has been - like many others - a constant at Aashray from the beginning. He has an elder sister and a younger brother, while his mother runs a tea shop. A boy with lively eyes but shy responses, he loves to play cricket and football with his friends at Aashray.

Environmental studies is his favourite subject at school, and when asked why, he replies by saying that it informs them about many good things around them. He wants to become a scientist in the future, and is ready to do all the hard work that is required to achieve his dreams!