“Youth fades; love droops; the leaves of friendship fall; a mother’s secret hope outlives them all.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes
The above is intended to be a tribute to all mothers yet there are no words to describe her and only the fortunate ones get to live and be nurtured by one. Lucky are those who have all the love of their birth giver. For there are more than 30 million orphaned and abandoned children in India – that’s almost 4% of the youth population. Since the Covid-19 pandemic struck in 2020, thousands more children have been orphaned, and the true figures are still unknown.
Yet thankfully there are kind souls out there who give these kids home and become their mothers.
On the occasion of Mother’s Day, we present you the story of Sindhutai Sapkal (1948-2022), popularly known as Mother Teresa of Maharashtra. She was a mother to 1400 odd orphans whom she adopted and raised for 40 years of her life. This includes more than 1050 orphaned children, 207 Sons-in-law, and 36 daughters-in-law. For her incredible journey, she has been bestowed with more than 750 Awards including Nari Shakti Award, and Padma Shri.
Early life
Sindhutai Sapkal was born on 14 November 1948 at Pimpri Meghe village in Wardha district Maharashtra to Abhimanji Sathe, and was a cowherd by profession. She had a rough childhood and was treated as an unwanted child and so nicknamed ‘Chindhi’ (a torn piece of cloth).
But fortunately, her father was keen on educating Sindhutai, much against the wishes of her mother. Abhimanji, her father, used to send her to school under the pretext of cattle grazing, where she would use ‘leaves of Bharadi Tree’ as a slate as she could not afford a real slate because of financial reasons. Abject poverty, responsibilities, and an early marriage forced her to quit formal education after she passed 4th grade.
She was married off to Shrihari Sapkal alias Harbaji at the age of 12 while he was more than double her age. Harbaji was a cowherd from Navargaon village in Wardha District. Later on, she bore 3 sons to him by the time she turned 20.
Cow dung allowance agitation and the aftermath
Sindhutai had a fighting spirit right from her teens. She put up a successful agitation against the collection of dried cow dung (used as fuel in India) and selling it in collusion with the forest department, without paying anything to the villagers. This came with a prize and a price that she had to pay.
“My agitation brought the district collector to the village and on realizing I was right, he passed an order in our favor. This insulted the strongman of the village who managed to convince my husband to abandon me when I was beyond 9 months of pregnancy. He thrashed me and kicked me on my full-term belly and threw me in a cowshed. I was in immense pain and lost my senses. When I woke up I found a baby girl next to me guarded by a cow. With much effort, I cut my umbilical cord with a stone, and then I passed out again,” shared Sakpal in an interview.
Yet her husband abandoned her and she had to go back to her maternal place only to be shunned. She was left all alone in the world with her little daughter to look after. She was hungry and so was her daughter. She felt broken and was almost on the brink of death.
Begging, living in crematory, and railway station
She did not lose hope and went to the railway station to take shelter. There she would sing and beg to feed herself and her child.
“I was in my 20’s with a child. Although I managed to fare in the day, I was afraid to sleep in the station at night. I feared the men so I took shelter in a crematory. No man would enter the place and so I chose it. This continued for many days and one day I saw a pyre. The last rites were over and the relatives of the departed had left. They had left some flour as an offering which I took kneaded and prepared a bhakari (roti) and baked it on the fire which was still consuming the dead body. There came scavengers to feed on the remains, and there was also a dead cow beside me being devoured by vultures. At that point, I had to leave and find the courage to carry on no matter what,” Sindhutai narrated.
“Yes, I wanted to die many times. But every time I tried, I failed. Once I was attempting suicide and there was a man in need of food. I gave him some roti and water and suddenly has an urge to live,” she added.
Sindhutai would visit temples, travel by train, beg and sing. She was often joined by other beggars whom she would feed with whatever food she had. She wandered for months and years.
When all the beggars slept at the station at night, Sindhutai would remain awake and tend to the ones who were ailing, or hungry, and also the innocent children who were abandoned there with no parents to look after them. The numbers grew with each passing day and Sindhutai started to worry about her own child.
“I used to think that my daughter will start getting possessive about me and I was also worried about her well-being and upbringing. That is when I entrusted my little Mamata to Shrimant Dagaduseth Halwai Trust so that she could be looked after properly. I told them you look after my child and I will look after other children,” Sakpal told.
Sindhutai’s Legacy
One thing led to the other and Sindhutai started working for the orphans and destitute. She gave them food and shelter in whatever way she could. She started her own orphanage with help from donations, her own earnings from odd jobs, and singing on trains.
When she turned 70, her husband came back to her apologetically. She accepted him as her child stating she could only be her mother now. She called him her oldest child.
She gave a wholesome upbringing to the kids and educated them. Many of the children whom she adopted are lawyers, and lecturers, and some including her biological daughter, are running their own independent orphanages. One of her children is doing a Ph.D. based on her life.
Tai utilized the award money to buy land to make a home for her orphan children. Today the children have their own building at Manjari, Pune with all facilities i.e. computer room, hall for cultural activities, solar system, water filter, library, study room, and more.
The beloved ‘Aai’ or ‘Anathanchi Maye’ or ‘Mother of orphans’ did more wonders. Generally, orphanages just keep their wards up to the age of 18 but Sindhutai keeps her wards till they get jobs, or are married off and settle in life.
She passed away following a heart attack at a private hospital in Pune in January leaving an incredible legacy. Today her daughter Mamata and son Deepak and other children are carrying it forward.
“Two girls from our orphanage are set to marry on May 15. We got hundreds of profiles of which we chose the grooms,” informed Laukik Shah from The Mother Global Foudation to Life Beyond Numbers. The foundation is created for her work.
‘Mee Sindhutai Sapkal’, a Marathi film released in 2010 is a biopic inspired by the true story of Sindhutai Sapkal. The film was featured at the world premiere at the 54th London Film Festival.
“I have no complaints with the life I have led. It has only made me strong and helped me learn about the world. The world needs love, and can’t exist without it,” Aai quoted.
Sidhutai’s work has been funded by private donations and help from various walks of life. She never got any government aid except awards and prize money.
To join and contribute to her cause and legacy, click here.