Dilbur trained as a lawyer and spent her early years practicing law in the Bombay High Court. She championed the cause of women’s rights at SNDT Women’s University before moving to Thailand where she worked with the Union for Civil Liberty. For the next five years she was the Legal Officer for Asia and the Pacific at the International Commission of Jurists in Geneva. A strong advocate of Human Rights, the fact that prevalent laws, both International and Indian did not filter down to society’s most vulnerable deeply disturbed her. Determined to bridge this gap between laws and policies on the one hand and grassroot reality on the other, she, along with two like-minded friends, founded Aseema Charitable Trust in 1995. Along with a group of dedicated volunteers she began teaching a small group of children from the slums and pavement communities. Her journey to empower the future generation had begun and there was no looking back. As Chairperson, she has led from the front guiding Aseema from its humble beginnings to partnering with three Municipal Schools in Mumbai and building and running a school for tribal children at Igatpuri – a project very close to her heart.
Not wanting to stop there, she later went on to contemplate ways in which Aseema could do more to support its students and the tribal women living in the community that Aseema’s schools support. This led to the conception of Aseema Foundation which exhibits the marvelous artwork of our students and the dexterity of the empowered tribal women who are a product of our schools and training center.