‘Ghar Ayee Nanhi Pari’: Celebrating baby girls across 900 villages

For years, the birth of a girl in many rural homes was met with worry, not joy. That’s changing, thanks to Dr. Ebha Patel.

The 38-year-old from Khadepur started ‘Ghar Ayee Nanhi Pari’ in 2019 to celebrate baby girls. The initiative honors newborn girls and their mothers at panchayat events with certificates and information on government schemes.

At first, families shut their doors. Today, it has reached ∼900 villages in UP and Gujarat and celebrated over 9,000 girls.

Beyond celebrations, the team works with Anganwadis, ASHAs and ANMs to ensure healthcare, vaccinations and access to schemes. In Gujarat, women also get vocational training and dairy machines for livelihood.“Earlier people worried about daughters. Now they ask about her education,” says pradhan Satyaveer Chaudhary. “For me it was about making sure no mother feels ashamed when her daughter is born,” says Ebha, who hopes to expand to more states.

From closed doors to community pride — the message is spreading: daughters deserve to be welcomed with dignity.