ॐ त्र्यम्बकं यजामहे सुगन्धिं पुष्टिवर्धनम् ।उर्वारुकमिव बन्धनान् मृत्योर्मुक्षीय माऽमृतात् ॥
Who we are
Behind every act of service are people who care deeply about making a difference. MMCT is guided by its Board and Trustees, each bringing their own experiences, values and commitment to this noble journey.
Why MMCT exists?
I founded Mahamrityunjaya Charitable Trust with one heartfelt wish that no cancer patient should lose hope simply because treatment is beyond their means. If we can ease one family's burden, bring comfort to one patient and remind them that they are not alone, our journey will be worthwhile.
My Story & Vision
I often say that pain, when embraced with faith, becomes purpose.
My journey began in hardship — a childhood shadowed by financial struggles that forced me to give up my dreams of education. Yet, through every challenge, I learned the quiet strength of endurance and the beauty of compassion.
As a single child, my world revolved around my parents — they were my strength, my home, my everything. I never married, for my only wish was to care for them and keep them happy. But life, as it often does, had its own plans.
2008
My Father's Stroke
My father suffered a stroke — a moment that shook our small family to its core. I was the only earning member, and the burden of responsibility fell entirely upon me. I witnessed how people turn away when they fear you may seek their help. But by Mahadev's grace, I never had to beg. I managed every challenge with faith and dignity.
May 2011
My Mother's Cancer (Stage IV)
My mother was diagnosed with cancer, and within just 15 days of the diagnosis, she left this world. I had no time to grieve; I had to be strong for my father. Those were the darkest days — managing finances, handling her treatment, and bearing emotional pain that no words can describe. I learned firsthand what it means to be completely alone in one's struggle.
May 2016
My Own Heart Attack
The stress and pain took a toll on me. I suffered a massive heart attack, flatlined, and was declared dead for a few minutes. But Mahadev gave me a second life. That moment changed my entire perspective — I realised that life itself is a divine gift and every breath must be used for a purpose greater than oneself.
February 2020
My Father's Cancer (Stage IV)
Just as the world was facing the terror of COVID-19, my father was diagnosed with cancer. I spent a year running between hospitals for his chemotherapy, terrified that he might contract the virus — because if something happened, I wouldn't even be allowed to see him one last time. I prayed endlessly, but despite my care and his courage, I lost him on 2nd February 2021. That day, I lost not just my father — I lost my entire world.
With both my parents gone, I was left completely alone — no family, no siblings, no one to call my own. The silence that followed was unbearable. But in that silence, I found something sacred — the whisper of divine purpose.
My pain had given me a rare gift — the ability to understand the pain of others.
I decided to turn my grief into goodness, my loneliness into love, and my tears into strength for others. As a devotee of Lord Mahadev, I found courage and direction in His divine energy — and thus, the Mahamrityunjaya Charitable Trust was born, with one simple dream: to bring comfort and dignity to those who suffer silently.
Every time a child smiles, an elder blesses me, or a patient regains hope, I feel my parents' presence beside me. Their blessings guide me every step of the way. This work is my tribute to their love — through it, their kindness continues to live on.
I may not have a family of my own, but today, I have found one — in the lives I touch. I may not change the entire world, but if I can change even one life, it will mean the world to me.
My only wish now is to spend the rest of my life spreading love, hope, and dignity among the poor and the needy. Because in lifting others, I have found peace, and in serving them, I have found purpose.
And as I look back, I realise — life did not break me, it awakened me. Through Mahadev's grace, I turned my pain into purpose — and my purpose into service.
ॐ नमः शिवाय
Hope arrives in the smallest gestures of kindness for those who have lost it all.
Blessed to serve, committed to care.
The Trust's launch date, 11 September, is her father's birthday.
Why I joined this cause
ईशावास्यमिदं सर्वं… मा गृधः कस्यस्विद्धनम्
Do not covet, for whose is wealth?
This teaching reached me long before I could read it. I grew up understanding that whatever a person holds beyond what he and his family need was never his to keep. It is a trust, and it marks him as chosen to serve those who cannot count on a meal each day and those fighting illness they cannot afford to fight alone.
I saw it lived rather than recited. I was born into a primary school teacher's family. We were not people with a surplus, yet my parents behaved as though we always had one: food distributed every month, reading glasses placed in the hands of the elderly, school fees paid for children who would otherwise have gone without. They had simply drawn the line of “enough” closer to themselves than most people do.
So when Ritu shared her vision, there was nothing to deliberate. Time has come for me to start what my parents taught me.
Here are the people behind this trust and the reason that inspired them to take on this work.
The board
Ritu Kalia
Chairperson & Founder
Held leadership positions for more than three decades across the Media, Manufacturing, FMCG, Medical and Hospitality industries
chairperson@mmct.lifeIn their own words
Read founder's message ↑Sunil Singh
Co-Founder & Managing Trustee
Seasoned technology leader with more than three decades of global experience across the FMCG, Energy and IT industries
founder@mmct.lifeIn their own words
Read co-founder's message ↑Rajaraman Shankar
Senior Advisor
awaiting details
In their own words
Their words, to come
Dr. Ramana Gogi
Trustee
Senior Consultant Medical Oncologist
In their own words
Their words, to come
Our Core Support Team
Angira Shanghvi Lodha
Legal Advisor
Dr. Rashmi Narwal
Medical Support
MBBS, M.D. in General Medicine (2nd Year)
Anil Varma
CA and Auditor
Rashmi Varma
Bhandara Seva
awaiting details
Trust Coordinator, to be appointed soon