TRIPURA: Debashree Das Debbarma, an employee of the Postal Department in Agartala, has built her life around helping people in need. Coming from a lower-middle-class family, she experienced financial difficulties early in life. But they never stopped her from pursuing her ambition.
Her father, a small-time businessman, ensured that she attended an English-medium school despite the family’s limited means. When their financial difficulties worsened during her high school years, she started taking tuition classes to pay for her education. She continued teaching until graduation and secured a government job. Her salary helped her support the family and occasionally assist those in need.
Her involvement in social work grew during the Covid pandemic, when she saw doctors, lawyers and other professionals helping people in distress. After the pandemic, devastating floods hit parts of Agartala and towns such as Sabroom and Udaipur.
The same group of people came forward to distribute food, books, notebooks, clothes, sanitary pads and medicines to affected families. They soon realised that working together would make their efforts more effective. Seven of them, including lawyer Puja, formed the NGO Konya Kotha (also spelt Kanya Kotha), meaning Women’s Voices, in 2024. The organisation was registered.
“Although we knew one another through social service, we did not have a common platform. We realised that we must have one to carry out our activities under its banner. Seven of us came together to form the NGO in 2024 and named it Konya Kotha. The organisation, which was subsequently registered, was the brainchild of one of our members, Puja, who is a lawyer,” Debashree says. Konya Kotha is a women-led organisation with male members as well. It celebrated its foundation day last year and this year.
“One person alone cannot bring about change in society. This is the reason why we came together. Our members come from different professional backgrounds. We utilise our individual skills to help people,” she says. A passionate dancer and choreographer with formal training in painting, Debashree has also made a mark in modelling. She won the Mrs India International title in 2022 and received the Global Best Dancer award for 2025-26.
Despite her busy schedule, she visits two villages on the outskirts of Agartala to teach dance to children from marginalised families.
“If these children cannot find jobs when they grow up, they can still earn a living by teaching dance. This thought motivates me to go to them and teach dance. They eagerly wait for my visits,” she says.
She learnt dance from her mother, a Bharatanatyam dancer, and through YouTube. She performs Bharatanatyam, Kathak and Manipuri and is associated with a dance academy. She also teaches painting to children who visit her home “I love painting and try to help children,” she says. Her other activities include distributing medicines to elderly residents of ashrams and giving colour pencils, colour boxes and other items to visually impaired children.
Debashree is also chief of Agartala-based RK Entertainment, which organises events, mainly related to fashion. She serves on beauty pageant juries, trains aspiring models and helps those who cannot afford to participate in competitions. She has also represented the Postal Department at dance events and beauty pageants. Her childhood struggles explain her commitment to helping others.
“I was needy as a young person. There was no one to help my sister and me. Now, whenever I can do something for someone in need, I feel happy. My own life experiences motivate me to continue doing what I have been doing for the past few years,” she says. Her husband, also a Postal Department employee, is her strongest supporter.
Debashree says her life would be incomplete without Konya Kotha, which has grown steadily since its formation. The NGO focuses on women’s and girls’ welfare, preventing child marriage, particularly in poor families, and addressing marital discord. It also undertakes various activities to support underprivileged people and promote social responsibility.
One of its key initiatives, ‘Annya’, provides lunch to family members of cancer patients at the Agartala Cancer Hospital. Many come from different parts of Tripura and struggle to meet their expenses while staying in the city during treatment. The NGO also runs a ‘Sacred Idol Preservation Drive’, under which abandoned Goddess Lakshmi idols are respectfully relocated after Puja celebrations.