Rachana has always been very passionate about philanthropy. Even in her childhood, she always saw her Nani being extremely involved in giving back to society in any way possible. She would constantly donate money, toys, food or time to orphanages, kids’ schools and NGOs. Rachana always saw her mother buying snacks and sweets for poor kids, and learnt that no matter how big or small your donation, having the heart to give and share what you have with people who don’t is the biggest blessing and privilege.

Rachana has always excelled in academia, but it was her desire to help others that got her to become a doctor. Today, as a dentist, Rachana continues to serve those that cannot afford the best medical care with free or extremely subsidized treatment at her clinic. Through her academic journey, Rachana realised how a good education can empower people and make them independent enough to stand on their own two feet. This is why Rachana wants to help underprivileged children get the best possible education: so that they can write their own destiny and follow their dreams.

Harsh has always been very passionate about animals from a very young age. As a child, he used to feed stray cats in his building every day, and even unsuccessfully tried to adopt a kitten one day by bringing it home! As he grew up, Harsh would carry food for animals in his car every day and feed any stray he would see on the road. Today, Harsh has 2 beagles and 2 alsatians at home and wants to build Raksha Foundation to help millions of animals in the near future.

However, the inception of Raksha Foundation was from the untimely loss of Rachana & Harsh’s first dog. When Harsh was graduating from university, his parents wanted to give him a big gift. He grabbed his chance and finally got his lifelong dream of having a dog come true. Simba, a beagle, was much more than a pet for Rachana and Harsh; he was like their first child. Unfortunately, at all of 5 years of age, he developed some health problems, and Rachana & Harsh soon found out that even in a city like Mumbai, advanced medical help for dogs was incredulously unavailable. Necessity is the mother of invention, and Simba’s loss led to Rachana & Harsh developing a steadfast resolve to build centers with the best medical facilities to help countless other animals in India.