Welcome Rayat Shikshan Sanstha Shrimant Maharaja Yashwantrao Holkar

Welcome

Rayat Shikshan Sanstha, Shrimant Maharaja Yashwantrao Holkar Vidyalay, Wafgaon. Tal- Khed , Dist – Pune. Shri. Gaikwad R. T M. A. B. Ed Assistant Teacher

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Sindhutai Sapkal (Mai) Born 14 November 1948 Wardha, Maharashtra, India Residence Hadapsar, Pune Nationality Indian Other names Known for Religion Mother of orphans Raising orphan children Hindu Spouse(s) Shrihari Sapkal Children One Biological Girl and 3 Male Child 1042 Adopted 4

Early life and education She was born on 14 November 1948 at Pimpri Meghe village in Wardha district Maharashtra to Abhimanji Sathe, a cowherd by profession. Being an unwanted child, she was nicknamed 'Chindhi' (torn piece of cloth). Her father was keen on educating Sindhutai, much against the wishes of her mother. Abhimanji used to send her to school under the pretext of cattle grazing, where she would use 'leaf of Bharadi Tree' as a slate as she could not afford a real slate because of her financial reasons. Abject poverty, family responsibilities and an early marriage forced herto quit formal education after she passed 4 th 5

Marriage and early work At the age of 10, she got married to Shrihari Sapkal alias Harbaji, a 30 -year-old cowherd from Navargaon village in Wardha District She bore 3 sons by the time she turned 20. She put up a successful agitation against a local strongman who was fleecing the villagers on collection of dried cow dung used as fuel in India and selling it in collusion with forest department, without paying anything to the villagers. She gave birth to a baby girl on 14 October 1973 in a cow shelter outside their house that night, all by herself and walked few kilometers away to her mother's place, who refused to shelter her. She decided to become a mother to anyone and everyone who came across to her as an orphan. 6

Later work v She has devoted her entire life for orphans. As a result she is fondly called 'Mai'(mother). She has nurtured over 1050 orphaned children. v As of today, she has a grand family of 207 son-in-laws, 36 daughter-in-laws and over 1000 grandchildren. She still continues to fight for the next meal. v Sanmati Bal Niketan is being built in Manjari v. At the age of 80, her husband came back to her apologetically. She accepted him as her child stating she is only a mother now! If you visit her ashram, she proudly and very affectionately introduces him as her oldest child! v A marathi film 'Mee Sindhutai Sapkal' released in 2010, is a biopic inspired by the true story of Sindhutai Sapkal. To be continued…. 7

� Sindhu tai fought for the rehabilitation of the 84 villages. In the course of her agitation, she met Chhedilal Gupta, then minister of forests. He agreed that the villagers ought not to be displaced before the government had made appropriate arrangements at alternative sites. When Prime Minister Indira Gandhi arrived to inaugurate the tiger project, Sindhu tai showed her photographs of an Adivasi who had lost his eyes to a wild bear. "I told her that the forest department paid compensation if a cow or a hen was killed by a wild animal, so why not a human being? She immediately ordered compensation. "Those things made people look at her with admiration. 8

�Soon she realized the plight of orphaned and abandoned Adivasi children. Initially she took care of the children in return for some meager food. Looking after them was a source of livelihood. It didn't take long for it to become the mission of her life. She later donated her biological child to the trust Shrimant Dagdu sheth halwai, Pune, only to eliminate the feeling of partiality between her daughter and the adopted ones. 9

Operating organizations �Sanmati Bal Niketan, Bhelhekar Vasti, Hadapsar, Pune �Mamata Bal Sadan, Kumbharvalan, Saswad �Mai's Ashram Chikhaldara, Amravati �Abhiman Bal Bhavan, Wardha �Gangadharbaba Chhatralaya, Guha �Saptsindhu' Mahila Adhar, Balsangopan Aani Shikshan Sanstha, Pune 10

Awards �Total 273 awards � 2015 - Ahmadiyya Muslim Peace Prize for the year 2014 � 2014 - BASAVA BHUSANA PURASKAR 2014, Awarded from Basava Seva Sangh Pune. � 2013 - Mother Teresa Awards for Social Justice. � 2013 - The National Award for Iconic Mother ---- (first recipient) � 2012 - Real Heroes Awards, given by CNN -IBN and Reliance Foundation. � 2012 - COEP Gaurav Purskar, given by College of Engineering, Pune 11

� 2010 - Ahilyabai Holkar Award, given by the Government of Maharashtra to social workers in the field of woman and child welfare � 2008 - Woman of the Year Award, given by daily marathi newspaper Loksatta � 1996 - Dattak Mata Purskar, Given by Non Profit Organization – By Sunita Kalaniketan Trust (In the memories of – Late Sunita Trimbak Kulkarni ), Tal – Shrirampur Dist Ahmednagar. Maharashtra Pune. ) 12

� 1992 - Leading Social Contributor Award. �Sahyadri Hirkani Award (Marathi: �������� ) �Rajai Award (Marathi: �������� ) �Shivlila Mahila Gourav Award (Marathi: ������� ���� 12/19/2021 Free template from www. brainybetty. com 13

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"God can not be everywhere so he created Mother" 15

Thank You 16