She had a dream job, interacting with famous multinational advertising agencies, earning a great pay packet, writing for the crème of consumer brands and heading a group of young copywriters. She forsook it - and all its trappings - to give a new lease of life to children who are on the wrong side of the law. The smiles she soon brought to their faces became her reward.

Meet 34-year-old Suparna Gupta, founder of Aangan, a non-governmental organisation, that provides succour to wounded souls; it is a shelter for battered minds and a respite for broken hearts. Now, her days, instead of starting with cups of coffee and creative conversations with her team and clients, begin with squatting in the squalor of remand homes and teaching something new to young, stubborn, disillusioned minds, providing them emotional and moral support.

Though she had a creative job, first with O&M and then at Lowe Lintas as a copy group head, Gupta was not satisfied and craved to do something more for the upliftment of society. So, after her marriage in 1996, she made a pact with her husband, film-maker Nikhil Advani. "Advertising was not what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. But till his career stabilised, I worked and then later, I quit to follow my heart...."

Interestingly, the seeds of her interest in social causes were sown during her academic years. Having done her Social Communications Media (SCM) course from Sophia College, Gupta's projects involved making audio visuals, films and radio spots on social issues. "Even as a child I was exposed to a lot of volunteer work. My mum was a teacher for the hearing impaired and at college, I had volunteered for several NGOs."

The turning point in Gupta's life came when she turned 30. "After I resigned, the first thing I did was to set up a trust. I also volunteered with many NGOs to get a feel of what I wanted to focus on. One of these places was an Observation Home in Dongri." The plight of the children moved her enough to want to commit her time, resources, career…and herself to it. "I was distressed by the number of adolescents in state custody. Realising that there is a real need for their care and rehabilitation, I started Aangan in 2002."

But Gupta soon realised that it was not an easy task. "The children at the NGOs where I had previously worked were always spruced up, presentable, bright and savvy. In contrast, the atmosphere at Dongri was almost jail-like," she says. "Aged anywhere from three to 18, the kids are abandoned, neglected, abused and exploited. As a result, many of them turn to crime when they are very young."

Gupta adds, "These children come from backgrounds with deep chronic neglect and violence. I felt that this is where I was needed because it was a space where there wasn't much NGO intervention and no sustainable programmes happening." She then started what she terms as 'rehabilitation through creative processes'. She met with severe resistance from the state authorities. "I needed to work a lot to convince them that we would be able to partner them. I had to win over their trust since they feel that most NGOs are only intent on stirring up trouble."

Her strong persuasive skills - a throwback to her ad world days - came to the rescue: "My entire focus was on bringing psycho-social rehabilitation to the forefront. I had often discussed this idea with the state authorities, but they had no knowledge about its scope. They insisted on providing just food and chappals to the teenagers. But I held my ground. Now, their attitude has completely changed."