Hamro Chhahari spreads its wings to North Bengal — the Siliguri branch at Khaprail, Sainikpuri opens its doors to support patients travelling to Mumbai, Vellore and other treatment centres from the region.
On the auspicious morning of Makar Sankranti, 14 January 2021, the doors of the Siliguri ashram opened at Khaprail, Sainikpuri. Office bearers, founding members and well-wishers from across North Bengal gathered for a simple inauguration — a lamp lit, a prayer offered, and the first room readied for a patient.
Siliguri sits at a crossroads. Patients from Sikkim, Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Bhutan and the seven sisters of the North-East pass through the city on their way to specialist hospitals in Vellore, Mumbai and Kolkata. For many, the journey itself is the hardest part — the unfamiliar plains, the language, the cost of even a single night's stay.
The Siliguri ashram offers a familiar roof. Patients and one attendant can stay free of charge while they consult local oncologists, await reports, or break the long journey south. Meals are simple, vegetarian, and prepared with the dietary needs of cancer patients in mind.
Within months of opening, the ashram was supporting patients every week — a quiet validation that the need was real, and the location, exactly right.
