Hema joined Latika Vihar at the age of 11. She was a scrappy, tough little girl then, weighing in at only 30 kilos but formidable. Anand, an older, much larger boy remembers being assigned to hold the punching bag for the martial arts class to practice their kick-boxing on. One child after another ran up and landed their ineffectual, feathery little kicks on the bag and Anand was able to hold it up with only half his strength. Suddenly, Hema emerged from the pack like a cannonball, raced up to the bag and kicked it so hard he was knocked right over.

That’s Hema in a nutshell. She grabs her life in both her hands and engages with it. As a child at Latika Vihar, she stood out for her energy and vitality, her lively sense of humor and fun and her willingness to take risks, to try new things, to challenge assumptions and set her own course. As an adult, she is fearless and passionate, full of ideas and sparkle, still taking risks, still setting her own course.

In 1999, she started working as Moy Moy’s carer, a job she held successfully and with great dedication for three years. She then moved on to a full-time job at Karuna Vihar as an assistant teacher. And finally, full-circle, she was appointed coordinator for the littles at Latika Vihar, planning and conducting the activities she once participated in as a child herself.