In a heart-wrenching tale of transformation, Pinki Haryan, a child beggar from Himachal Pradesh's Mcleodganj, has emerged as a beacon of hope after completing her medical degree.
Once scrounging for food in rubbish heaps, Haryan’s life took a significant turn two decades ago, thanks to the intervention of a compassionate Tibetan monk.
In 2004, Lobsang Jamyang, director of a Dharamshala-based charitable trust, spotted Haryan and her family begging on the streets.
Recognising her potential, he visited the slum cluster of Charan Khud a few days later, determined to persuade her parents, particularly her father, Kashmiri Lal, to allow her to pursue an education.
After persistent dialogue, Lal eventually relented, granting Haryan the opportunity to attend school.
She enrolled at Dayanand Public School in Dharamshala and became one of the inaugural students at a hostel for destitute children, established by Jamyang’s charitable trust.
Ajay Srivastava, president of the Umang Foundation, who has worked alongside Jamyang for nearly two decades, noted that Haryan initially struggled with homesickness but quickly recognised education as her pathway out of poverty.
Her academic achievements soon began to reflect her dedication and determination.
Haryan not only passed her senior secondary examination but also excelled in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), the all-India entrance exam for undergraduate medical courses.
Yet, despite her accomplishments, the exorbitant fees of private medical colleges posed a significant barrier.
Fortuitously, assistance came from the Tong-Len Charitable Trust in the United Kingdom, which enabled her to secure admission to a prestigious medical college in China in 2018.
Having recently completed her MBBS course, Haryan has returned to Dharamshala, eager to serve the underprivileged.
Reflecting on her past, Haryan remarked, "Poverty was the biggest struggle since childhood. It was painful to see my family in distress. As I got into school, I had an ambition to become successful in life."
The adversity she faced in a slum environment has fuelled her motivation for a better, financially stable future.
Haryan reminisced about a childhood interview for school admission at the age of four, during which she expressed her desire to become a doctor.
“At that point in time, I had no idea what work a doctor does, but I always wanted to help my community,” she shared, currently preparing for the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE) to practice medicine in India.
Her siblings, inspired by her journey, have also enrolled in school, further illustrating the ripple effect of her success. Haryan credited Jamyang for her remarkable transformation from “slum dweller to doctor.”
She said, "He had a vision to help destitute and poor children. He was the biggest support system I had while I was in school. His belief in me was a big inspiration to do well."
Jamyang expressed his pride in the trust's accomplishments, stating, "I did not realise that these children were so full of talent... They have become role models and are inspiring others."
Srivastava pointed Jamyang's philosophy that children should not be viewed merely as “machines to earn money.”
Instead, he advocates for nurturing them into compassionate human beings. “He has dedicated his entire life to the children living in slums.
Several of them, who once languished in the streets, were adopted by him and have today become engineers, doctors, and journalists,” Srivastava concluded.
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