India, May 15 -- When Jyotsna Anand first arrived in Gurugram nearly 30 years ago, the city was a cluster of villages and colonies, making way for the upcoming urbanisation. A turning point came in her life when she received an unexpected invitation from her neighbour.

"In November 1995 during my neighbour's birthday, his family invited me to visit a community of people affected by leprosy or Hansen's disease, near New Colony in Old Gurugram," said Anand adding that the visit stayed with her for years.

According to Anand, the people in the colony lived in mud structures, with little access to sanitation, healthcare or steady income. "People were scared of even going near them. It was as if they were completely isolated by society," she ...