Chhavi Sachdev: The story is indeed true, and the real Gayatri and Gauri Sawant appear in the ad. But certain details are omitted from their story. The child was 6 when her mother, a sex worker, died of AIDS. Gauri, then 27, was her mother’s friend and stepped in to raise her.
…Gauri Sawant is an activist for transgender people and runs an NGO in Mumbai. She was one of the original petitioners to challenge the government of India for equal rights and recognition for transgender people, resulting in the passage of a law by the Supreme Court of India. More here.