GUWAHATI: From growing up amid violent armed movements to driving a double-decker in London’s Piccadilly Circus and now working for underprivileged children in Assam, Sheetal Lama Rai’s journey has, indeed, been a remarkable one.
The mother of two, who spent her childhood in Assam, has set an example by pushing boundaries and displaying grit to be independent. She has reconnected with her roots by ploughing back the earnings of her hard work in London into a work of love—A Ray of Hope (AROH), an NGO, which she works for and funds. AROH, which has won Centre’s ‘Outstanding Youth Club Award’ and Assam government’s ‘Chief Minister’s Best Community Action Award’, organises training programmes for underprivileged children in computer learning, disaster management, self-defence and creates awareness on drug abuse.
“AROH is based in Haflong in Assam’s Dima Hasao district. We work with less budget. I also raise funds from friends and well-wishers in London. We are a team of 35, all youngsters, who believe in working with the younger generation,” she said.
Her life changed when she went to Dima Hasao a few years ago and saw underprivileged children. Rai grew up in Mahur in Dima Hasao when insurgency in the district was at its peak.
When asked about her journey, she said, “I wanted to do something different and get out of Mahur. I left the place when I was 14 and went to Nepal. Then I got married and shifted to London. In London, I started driving airport buses.”