When she moved to Bhubaneswar, Inderjit Khurana did volunteer work with the children at Mother Teresa’s Home for the Poor, which inspired her to start the Train Platform Schools.
“At the train station, I located the most unreached children: unprotected, unloved, uncared for. They were ignorant, illiterate, making their own decisions, leading an unplanned life and finally succumbing to disease, drugs and molestation.
"On April 7, 1985, a colleague and I went to the train platform. Permitted by a kind-hearted station master, we 'set up shop':
storybooks, pencils, paper, crayons, towels, and soap. Eleven children came and a morning full of activities followed: telling stories, drawing, coloring, singing, dancing and finally, washing up. The children scrubbed their feet, washed their hair and delighted at being so clean."
"Our once-a-week gathering became an everyday program. By November, we had 114 children. That's when we received our first warning. The Powers That Be said we were misusing government property."