Sindhutai Sapkal – A mother to all
Date: January 21, 2025
Sindhutai Sapkal is a social activist who gave life to over 2100 orphaned children and became ‘Mai’, meaning mother to all. This woman is more than an inspiration; she dedicated her whole life to changing the lives of homeless orphans. Sindhutai went through various struggles for most of her life, but she fought in every situation with all her courage and might. This mother of orphans had every reason to give up and turn bitter due to the horrible circumstances she faced, but she came out as a diamond shining bright even in the plight of darkness and lighting up the world of thousands of others. We will now venture into the impeccable life story of Sindhutai.
Struggling early life of Sindhutai
Sindhutai Sapkal was born on 14th November 1948 (Children’s Day)in Pimpri Meghe village of Wardha district in Maharashtra. She was born to a cowherder Abhimanyu Sathe. Sindhutai was called ‘Chindi’ (meaning a Shredded worn-out piece of cloth) as she was an unwanted child. Her father supported her education and sent her to school against the wishes of her mother under the pretext of crow grazing. She was able to study till 4th standard but eventually were married at the age of 12 to a man, Shrihari Sapkal who was 20 years older than her. She gave birth to three children before the age of twenty. She was pregnant with the fourth child when she was twenty years old.
At that time, the forest department used to sell dry cow dung collected by villagers and never paid them wages for this job. Sindhutai fought against this unjust practice and eventually won when district collectors passed the law in favour of Sindhutai, offended and angered by this, the Jamindar who used to get cut off from the forest department, instigated her husband and convinced him that the child she bore wasn’t his.
Her husband, who started doubting her character, used to beat her mercilessly all day. She was thrown to cowshed by her husband, where she gave birth to a baby girl all by herself and cut the umbilical cord with a stone lying beside her and passed out after that. He eventually threw her out of the house and villagers evicted her from the village too.
She came to find aid in her maternal village where she was rejected by the villagers and her own mother closed doors for her.
Sindhutai Sapkal was born on 14th November 1948 (Children’s Day)in Pimpri Meghe village of Wardha district in Maharashtra. She was born to a cowherder Abhimanyu Sathe. Sindhutai was called ‘Chindi’ (meaning a Shredded worn-out piece of cloth) as she was an unwanted child. Her father supported her education and sent her to school against the wishes of her mother under the pretext of crow grazing. She was able to study till 4th standard but eventually were married at the age of 12 to a man, Shrihari Sapkal who was 20 years older than her. She gave birth to three children before the age of twenty. She was pregnant with the fourth child when she was twenty years old.
At that time, the forest department used to sell dry cow dung collected by villagers and never paid them wages for this job. Sindhutai fought against this unjust practice and eventually won when district collectors passed the law in favour of Sindhutai, offended and angered by this, the Jamindar who used to get cut off from the forest department, instigated her husband and convinced him that the child she bore wasn’t his.
Her husband, who started doubting her character, used to beat her mercilessly all day. She was thrown to cowshed by her husband, where she gave birth to a baby girl all by herself and cut the umbilical cord with a stone lying beside her and passed out after that. He eventually threw her out of the house and villagers evicted her from the village too.
She came to find aid in her maternal village where she was rejected by the villagers and her own mother closed doors for her.
Adopting Advasi Children
Sindhutai later arrived in Chikhaldara, where she started begging to eat. She found many abandoned and orphaned children and adopted them all. After adopting them, feeding them became her responsibility, she worked and begged harder to fill their stomachs. Sindhutai would adopt every orphan child she would come across to.
She gave her daughter Mamta to Shrimant Dagdusheth Halwai trust in Pune to annihilate all the possibilities of favoritism and partiality between her biological daughter and adopted children.
The tiger preservation project resulted in the evacuation of about 84 villagers. A project officer seized 132 cows and one of them died. Sindhutai decided to raise her voice against this and fight for the villagers. Ministry of forest listened to Sindhutai and made arrangements for the relocation of villagers.
When our former prime minister Indira Gandhi arrived for project tiger, she showed the photograph of an Adivasi who lost his eye to a wild bear. She asked the PM if forest department paid compensation if a hen or cow was killed, then not human beings? Prime Minister ordered compensation immediately.
The tribal community gave her a piece of land to build a house for her orphanage. She founded her first organization “Vanawasi Gopalkrushna Bahuudeshiya Mandal.”
Sindhutai’s daughter runs her own NGO, and her adopted son Deepak opened an NGO after her daughter, Mamata Bal Bhawan. She became the mother to over 2000 children, some of whom are successful in their careers now. Some have become doctors, lawyers, and lecturers. One of her children is also doing a PhD in Sindhutai’s life. Her love for animals led to another NGO, Gopika Gay Rakshan Kendra.
When Sindhutai’s husband came to the orphanage to apologize, she responded in a way that only a person with a heart of gold could. She accepted his apology kindly, but with a unique twist. She declared that she was now a mother to all, including him, and affectionately introduced him to others as her first child.
Recognition and awards
Sindhutai’s work was recognized internationally. A Marathi biopic on her, ”Mee Sindhutai Sapkal,” was selected for the world premiere at the 54th London Film Festival. Sindhutai received over 900 awards for her social work. She was awarded the Padma Shri in 2021, the fourth-highest civilian award in our nation.
Some of the notable awards include the prestigious National Award for Iconic Mother and Mother Teressa Award in 2013, the Honorary Doctorate by D.Y Patil College of Engineering, Pune, in 2016, the Nari Shakti Award from the president of India in 2017, the Real Hero Awards by CNN-IBN and Reliance Foundation, and Social Worker of the Year Award from Wockhardt Foundation.
She used the award money to buy land to build an orphanage.
Conclusion
Sindhutai Sapkal, a name that carries a sense of kindness, respect, love, and motherhood, will be written in golden words throughout the history of social work. Mai faced days that one could never wish upon their enemies; she was married at a tender age, beaten to death by her husband, gave birth to a baby by herself and cut her umbilical cord with a stone in a cowshed! She was evicted from her home and village, and even her own mother turned her back on her. She begged to survive; her pockets were empty, but the kindness in her heart was endless. She adopted orphans and homeless kids who were suffering and begged more to feed their stomachs. She even spent her nights in the cemetery. This woman is a true inspiration to everyone. She was the richest woman in the world even when she had nothing. Sindhutai passed away in 2022. She left behind NGOs, and her reflections and lessons in the lives of her adopted children, who honour her legacy by succeeding in life, remembering her and helping her NGOs grow. Some of her children run their NGOs, too. Sindhutai lives in our hearts and will always be proudly remembered for everything she has done.
