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The orphanage is one of hundreds across India
As a young British Indian and journalist, I wanted to go to India to uncover the reality of life for women there, six months after a young medical student was brutally gang-raped on board a bus in the Indian capital Delhi.
The story made international headlines and shocked the world.
I have visited India many times and spent time there. As my ancestral homeland, India is a fascinating place.
Full of rich culture and colour, its spiritual vibrancy can be seen everywhere and I feel a deep sense of belonging here.
Whilst filming for the documentary, I met many brave young girls and women willing to share their personal experiences of harassment and violence.
I met with a 15-year-old acid attack victim from Bihar and a 21-year-old woman who was severely molested and stripped of her clothes after attending a friend's birthday party.
At the orphanage I didn’t know what to expect. I walked in and was met with the most incredible young Indian girls.
Thirty or more, there were tiny baby girls to young teenagers. Some were bold - laughing and singing, others were coy, hiding and playing with their toys.
Full of heart and soul, I had never seen such warm smiles. I was truly taken aback.
Girls in this home have been abandoned by their parents for various reasons, be they economic or fear for their future and marriage prospects.
But all their stories boil down to one main reason: being a girl. There's a common mindset throughout India that a girl is a burden.
In a deep-rooted culture, sons are raised superior to daughters. Boys are seen as the ones that can only provide for the family and carry on the lineage.
Demands for dowry can translate into parents struggling to fulfill their final duty, their daughter's rite of passage at the time of marriage. It's no wonder then girls are abandoned
