Orphan Girl Who Ran Away From Abusive Aunt Now Adopted by Collector of Dungarpur, Rajasthan

In Rajasthan, Dungarpur Collector Surendra Kumar Solanki set a great example by adopting a 9-year-old orphan girl who ran away from an abusive aunt.

By Neeti Vijaykumar

May 3, 2016

Chhaya Pargi had lost her parents when she was quite young, and had moved in to live with her paternal uncle and aunt. However, she soon ran away from there, after her aunt attempted to kill her with a farm tool. The nine-year-old from Ambada Kochri in Dungarpur (100 kilometres south of Udaipur) was found unconscious on the road by some Child Line members; they took her to Muskan, a child shelter in Ghati Mohalla, Udaipur.

The District Collector of Dungarpur, Surendra Kumar Solanki, heard this story during one of his inspections.

His heart went out to the innocent girl who had been subjected to such trauma and sorrow. He set an example for the entire district by adopting the orphan girl.

Surendra Kumar Solanki with Chhaya Pargi

Source: Facebook

According to Times of India, Solanki has undertaken all of Chhaya’s educational and personal expenses. He started out by appointing a local guardian for her – Abha Mehta, Principal of District Institute of Education and Training (DIET). Next, he ensured that the formalities for enrolling Chhaya into an English-medium school were taken care of.

In a heart warming conversation with the young girl, Solanki asked her what she wanted to do when she grew up. Chhaya’s eye lit up as she said she wanted to become a teacher. This only strengthened Solanki’s resolve to get her the best education possible.

“Chhaya is the administration’s daughter now,” he has said. He has made a detailed study of how children are kept in orphanages and also made a note of the sanitation, water and kitchen facilities of shelter homes in his district. Authorities have been instructed to make sure they are run and maintained efficiently.

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