A New Journey
Tanaya’s childhood was built around a truth that had been carefully hidden from her. Born into India’s Agrey-wali community, she was raised from infancy by an influential couple she knew as “mummy and daddy.” They sent her to an English-medium school and gave her what appeared to be an ordinary life. Tanaya had no idea they were deeply involved in the sex trade.
Behind that appearance of love and security, however, the couple was preparing her for exploitation. At 18, Tanaya learned the truth in the most devastating way: the people she had trusted as her parents gave her away to be trafficked. In a single moment, the family and future she thought she knew were shattered.
“When I was taken away from my parents, I was angry and confused,” Tanaya recalls.
After Tanaya was rescued and brought to Mahima Homes, she felt angry, confused, and heartbroken. Although she had been removed from exploitation, she was also separated from the only family she had ever known. She did not yet understand the truth about the people she called her parents or why the life she knew had been taken away.
“I couldn’t believe that the people I called mummy and daddy would one day give me away for prostitution,” Tanaya says, her voice heavy with hurt.
Healing began slowly. With patient counseling and consistent support, Tanaya started processing the betrayal she had experienced. Learning that the people she trusted had deliberately groomed her for exploitation was deeply painful, but Mahima’s staff gave her the time and safety she needed to understand what had happened without allowing it to define her future.
Mahima’s staff did not rush Tanaya’s healing. Through counseling, structured activities, and dependable care, they gave her space to process her emotions and begin rebuilding trust. Slowly, she started reconnecting with the parts of herself that existed beyond what had happened to her. Step by step, Tanaya began reclaiming her identity and recognizing that her future belonged to her—not to those who had tried to control it.
At Mahima Homes, Tanaya began discovering her worth and imagining possibilities beyond her past. Life-skills classes strengthened her confidence, while music and dance therapy gave her safe ways to express emotions that were difficult to put into words.
Education became an important part of her new future. With consistent schooling and after-school tutoring, Tanaya earned strong results on her Class 10 Board examinations. Career counseling then helped her turn her growing confidence into a plan for the life she wanted to build.
When asked about Mahima’s impact on her life, Tanaya smiles and says, “Mahima has provided me the platform to think beyond my present. I am thankful to Mahima for being in my life and giving me the confidence and encouragement, I need from time to time.”
At the time she shared her story, Tanaya was studying Commercial Studies in Class 11 and working toward her dream of becoming a Chartered Accountant. She also hoped to use her voice to advocate for girls vulnerable to exploitation.
Tanaya’s journey is still being written, but she is now shaping it for herself. Her story reflects the extraordinary change that becomes possible when a survivor is surrounded by safety, patient care, education, and people who believe in her future.
“Mahima has provided me the platform to think beyond my present. I am thankful to Mahima for being in my life and giving me the confidence and encouragement, I need from time to time. ”
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