With strong family support and excellent mentors in the U.S., she left for New York City to study at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT).

After graduating summa cum laude from FIT, she worked in home fashion for four years before moving to Washington, DC, and starting her own company, Mirasa Design. Inspired by toys she created for her niece, her company creates beautiful, playful, and practical children’s clothing using Aashumi’s original designs and working with fair trade producer groups and artisans in India.

In early 2024, Aashumi was introduced to Sambhali U.S. by volunteer (and now board member) Ellie Hamburger who had been Aashumi’s son’s pediatrician and a Mirasa customer. After a trip to Sambhali Trust, Ellie showed Aashumi photos of the experience. As it happened, Aashumi was looking for a new nonprofit to support with proceeds from Mirasa’s sales. Mirasa had been giving back to girls’ education in India via other organizations since its launch in 2010. “I was looking for a smaller nonprofit I could give back to and feel a connection—not just from sales but by working with the girls.” She was excited about what she learned and decided to visit Sambhali Trust on her next visit to see family in the summer.

It was a Vipassana retreat that truly opened Aashumi’s mind to the possibilities at hand. “One evening, during meditation, I was in front of a tree, it was like I had a conversation. What Dr. Hamburger shared with me and what I wanted in terms of a purpose, it all came together. I want this to be a community effort with the kids [of Sambhali Trust] a part of the creative process. I wanted to use some of their sketches to create designs for Mirasa.”

So, this past August, she loaded up her art supplies and, along with six family members from the U.S. and India, headed to Sambhali’s Sheerni Boarding Home. Aashumi was looking to share with the girls something she struggled to find as a child: the freedom to imagine and create.

“We all have an imagination,” she says. “We all should have access to it. It shouldn’t be limited to where you live or what resources you have.” She was glad to have been able to help the girls access their creative sides. “None of the workshop had to result in anything except for them thinking, ‘I had a good time.’ I wanted them to get messy, I wanted them to not worry about waste. So, I made sure there were plenty of supplies.”

But it didn’t go quite as she expected.

There is pressure to go to school and do well, and there are limits on resources, and those pressures can inhibit creative expression. “We had a lot of spills,” and the girls would get upset at themselves when that happened. She reassured them that spills were okay, that when she was a kid, “I made a mess. I spilled so much ink in my home as part of the process, and I shared that with them.”

The workshop, which Aashumi planned to be the first in an ongoing relationship with the Sheerni Boarding Home girls, became a learning experience for both the teacher and the students. And now she has new plans for her next visit in 2025. “I am excited to do other projects with them, like stretching the mind through art exercises.” She also wants to spend time one-on-one with the girls, something that could not happen on her last trip due to severe weather. “I want to get to know how they feel, what they’re thinking, what their dreams are. I want to be present and share time with them.”

As she first intended, she plans to use some of the sketches for future designs, which are still in the works, something the girls are very excited—and proud—to be a part of. She has also commissioned work from the women at Sambhali Dastaker (the nonprofit business that sells wares created by Sambhali Trust Empowerment Center graduates) to create journal covers, stuffed animals, holiday ornaments, and travel pouches to be sold on the Mirasa Design website. Additionally, Aashumi and Mirasa are supporting the girls of Sambhali through a portion of  Mirasa sales, both online and in-person. (For those who live in the Washington, DC, area, Mirasa Design can also be found most weekends at Eastern Market.)

Aashumi is using her many talents and her passion for girls’ education to provide holistic support to Sambhali: working directly with the boarding home girls to foster their creativity, raising much-needed funds, and sharing the story of Sambhali and its amazing programs with her many loyal customers.

"Aashumi’s passion for the role that art plays in self-expression and exploration combined with her talent and energy is a wonderful match for the culture of Sambhali,” says Ellie Hamburger. “I never dreamed that our chat in the market would evolve into such a wonderful collaboration.”