Hours after netizens questioned the authenticity of the ‘Harvard story’ of a 22-year-old Muskaan and the associated fundraising campaign, ‘Humans of Bombay’ have issued clarification.
In an Instagram post, the Indian photoblog stated, “At Humans Of Bombay, no fundraiser is taken up without an elaborate vetting of documents and due diligence. Muskaan’s story is no different.”
‘Humans of Bombay’ claimed that it confirmed every fact of the case and reviewed her document before promoting the fundraiser. It had uploaded soft copies of Muskaan’s Harvard admission letter, the breakup of the fee structure, Harvard loan receipt, visa document, flight tickets and lease agreement.
The Indian photoblog stated that Muskaan’s flight is scheduled for July 20, 2022. It also explained why the location of the 22-year-old varied across fundraising platforms such as Ketto and Milaap.
Humans of Bombay clarified, “We have also noticed a miscommunication about Muskaan’s location on another crowdfunding platform– this stemmed from the fact that she shared with us (during the hour-long interview) that a few years ago, she moved to Chandigarh with her mom (where they’re currently residing) and this information wasn’t shared with the other platform.”
It further added, “Muskaan is running multiple fundraisers to cover her cost of ₹73 Lacs ($ 91,788) Her ₹5 Lacs loan ($19000) only covers 1/5th of her expenses. Our aim was simple– to realise Muskaan and her mom’s dream of seeing Muskaan study at a college of her choice.”
“Should you, however, feel the need to further cross verify you are free to check in with the college’s admission office. We hope this settles any kind of discrepancy– our utmost priority has always been and will always be to be transparent with our community,” the photoblog concluded.
The background of the controversy
On Thursday (July 14), the popular Indian photoblog ‘Humans of Bombay’ posted the story of a 22-year-old Muskaan, who apparently required ₹23 lakhs to pursue a master’s in Psychology at Harvard University.
The Instagram post detailed her journey as an ‘anxious’ teenager who found guidance under her school counsellor. ‘Humans of Bombay’ claimed that Muskaan spent ₹2.5 lakhs in application and visa fees.
“My mom is a single mom & the breadwinner; she’s putting down her savings for me. Still, Rs. 23 lakhs more are required for me to study there…,” the post stated.
The popular photoblog posted the link to a fundraising campaign, which was hosted on Ketto. As of July 17, 2022, the campaign has amassed ₹ 13,70,434 ($17176.48).
Netizens were quick to point out obvious discrepancies in the fundraising campaign. Popular Twitter user (@BefittingFacts) informed that Muskaan had been running a similar fundraising campaign on Milaap.
Another Twitter user (@Naarad_Munii) stated that the last date to confirm Muskaan’s admission to Harvard was April 15, 2022, and that she has been raising funds for the same in July of this year.
One user claimed that Muskaan Bawa is a model by profession. He also sought the intervention of the Mumbai police. Concerned netizens also posted in the comment section of the fundraising campaign in the hopes to deter naive people from donating to her.
