about us

Our Mission

The mission of Sahara Means Support is to bring focus and funding to truly impactful NGO’s which are targeting the most vulnerable communities in India, with a focus on children and young people. We believe that every child given an opportunity to overcome their economic or social challenges will make an outsized contribution to their families and their broader communities. We invest behind inspirational leaders and committed teams who step into areas where few have successfully gone before and where the social returns on the funds invested are maintained at a high level. We monitor the developments at each of the chosen projects with personal visits and provide our input into their future plans. We aim to add to our current, now more established, projects over time with more fledgling ventures whilst maintaining the same focus on potential long term impact. The track record of each institution is thoroughly checked before being granted an FCRA certificate so you know your support and money is reaching the causes we set out in an authentic and transparent manner.

Our Founder

Indira worked in the world of Finance in the UK, throughout her professional career, first in Manchester in Investment Management and later in London both on the ‘Buy’ and ‘Sell’ side, retiring as a Director of Merrill Lynch in 1998, a position she held for over 10 years. The main reason for taking early retirement was to focus her endeavours on charitable activities.

Qualifications
  • BA Hons Econ
  • MA Econ, Ph.D.
  • BA Hons Ayur Medicine
  • Diploma Marma Puncture

Co-Curricular

  • BSY trained Yoga teacher
  • Advance level Reiki & Pranic Healing
Current Positions
  • Chair & Founder of SmS UK
  • Vice President: British Ayurveda Medical Council
  • General Secretary: Kavya Dhara, UK (Poetry Club)

Before Retirement

  • Director Equities, Merrill Lynch
  • Founder & President of SMS India Foundation (registered NGO)
  • Chair: British Association of Accredited Ayurvedic Practitioners (BAAAP) 2007-2022
Community Welfare Activities
  • Teaching yoga for charity since qualifying as a Yoga teacher in 1995
  • Holding annual Yoga retreats since 2004
  • Conducting Ayurveda workshops at her residence under the auspices of BAAAP since 2007 until COVID time
  • Conducting Preventative Healthcare workshops in community centres under the auspices of SmS UK
  • Conducting Yoga & Ayurveda retreats in Chamba, Tehri Gharwal, India, twice a year since 2015 until her retirement in 2023, under the auspices of SMS India Foundation.
  • Founder and major contributer to establishing a holistic healthcare and community welfare centre in Chamba.
Publications
  • 3 Hindi Poetry books (2008, 2010, 2012)
  • Living with My Other World (2009)
  • Hinduism – Sanatan Dharna (2012)
  • Living in Higher Consciousness (2016)
  • Revised Edition of Living in Higher Consciousness (2020)
  • A Practical Guide to Meditation (booklet 2020)