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By:

Shoumojit Banerjee

27 August 2024 at 9:57:52 am

Classroom of Courage

In drought-scarred Maharashtra, a couple’s experiment in democratic schooling is turning child beggars into model citizens In the parched stretches of Maharashtra, from Solapur to the drought-hit villages of Marathwada, a modest social experiment has quietly unfolded for nearly two decades. It is neither a grand government scheme nor a corporate-backed charity. Since 2007, the Ajit Foundation, founded by Mahesh and Vinaya Nimbalkar, has worked with children living at the sharpest edges of...

Classroom of Courage

In drought-scarred Maharashtra, a couple’s experiment in democratic schooling is turning child beggars into model citizens In the parched stretches of Maharashtra, from Solapur to the drought-hit villages of Marathwada, a modest social experiment has quietly unfolded for nearly two decades. It is neither a grand government scheme nor a corporate-backed charity. Since 2007, the Ajit Foundation, founded by Mahesh and Vinaya Nimbalkar, has worked with children living at the sharpest edges of society in Maharashtra. The foundation has become a home for out-of-school children, those who have never enrolled, the children of migrant labourers and single parents, and those who scavenge at garbage dumps or drift between odd jobs. To call their foundation an “NGO” is to miss the point. Vinaya Nimbalkar describes it as a “democratic laboratory”, where education is not merely instruction but an initiation into citizenship. The couple were once government schoolteachers with the Solapur Zilla Parishad, leading stable lives. Yet what they witnessed unsettled them: children who had never held a pencil, begging at traffic signals or sorting refuse for a living. Prompted by this reality, the Nimbalkars resigned their jobs to work full-time for the education of such children. Leap of Faith They began modestly, teaching children in migrant settlements in Solapur and using their own salaries to pay small honorariums to activists. Funds soon ran dry, and volunteers drifted away. Forced out of their home because of their commitment to the cause, they started a one-room school where Vinaya, Mahesh, their infant son Srijan and forty children aged six to fourteen lived together as an unlikely family. The experiment later moved to Barshi in the Solapur district with support from Anandvan. Rural hardship, financial uncertainty and the pandemic repeatedly tested their resolve. At one stage, they assumed educational guardianship of nearly 200 children from families that survived by collecting scrap on the village outskirts. Eventually, the foundation relocated to Talegaon Dabhade near Pune, where it now runs a residential hostel. Twenty-five children currently live and study there. The numbers may seem modest, but the ambition is not. Democracy in Practice What distinguishes the Ajit Foundation is not only who it serves but also how it operates. Within its walls, democracy is practised through a Children’s Gram Panchayat and a miniature Municipal Council elected by the children themselves. Young candidates canvass, hold meetings and present their budgets. Children maintain accounts and share decisions about chores, activities and certain disciplinary matters. In a country where democratic culture is often reduced to voting, the foundation’s approach is quietly radical. It treats children from marginalised backgrounds as citizens in formation. The right to choose — whether to focus on sport, cooking, mathematics or cultural activities — is respected. “We try never to take away what is their own,” says Vinaya Nimbalkar. Rather than forcing every child into a uniform academic mould, individual abilities are encouraged. A boy skilled in daily calculations may not be pushed into hours of bookish study; a girl who excels in cooking may lead the kitchen team. For children who have known only precarity, standing for election, managing a budget or speaking at a meeting can be transformative. On International Women’s Day, the foundation seeks visibility not just for praise but for partnership. If you are inspired by their mission, consider supporting or collaborating—your involvement can help extend opportunities to more children in need.

Ajit Pawar isolated in Mahayuti

'Pawar Power' crumbles in urban Maharashtra

Mumbai: The experiment was desperate, and the result, disastrous. The decision by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar to reunite with the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) for the Municipal Corporation elections was meant to be a masterstroke to reclaim the family’s bastion in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad. Instead, the colossal loss has not only dented the "Pawar" brand but has pushed Ajit Pawar into the most precarious position of his political career.


As the BJP celebrates its expansion across Maharashtra, the defeat raises existential questions for the NCP factions. For Ajit Pawar, the "Dada" of Pune politics, the loss is personal. It signals a diminishing grip on his home turf and drastically reduces his bargaining power within the ruling Mahayuti alliance.


Myth of Unity

The narrative leading up to these polls was one of reconciliation for survival. The story traces back to 2017, when the loss of Pimpri-Chinchwad first sowed the seeds of discord, eventually leading Ajit Pawar to embrace the BJP. Nine years later, facing the saffron juggernaut, the factions attempted a tactical reunion for the civic polls.


However, the voters saw through the cracks. The unity was merely on paper. NCP (SP) supremo Sharad Pawar remained conspicuously absent from the campaign trail. He did not attend the meetings that forged the alliance, nor did he address rallies. Even Working President Supriya Sule limited her involvement to a manifesto release in Pune, avoiding joint rallies with her estranged cousin.


"The message was clear—the heart wasn't in it," remarked a political observer. "The voters of Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad realized that a patchwork alliance without the visible blessing of the patriarch was hollow. Unity alone is not enough to counter the BJP’s aggressive urban development narrative."


Double Standards

Ajit Pawar’s strategy of running with the hare and hunting with the hounds has backfired spectacularly. While sitting as Deputy Chief Minister in the state government, he chose to openly level corruption allegations against the BJP during the PCMC campaign. This duality has infuriated his state allies. The backlash was swift and public. BJP State President Ravindra Chavan did not mince words, stating the party “regretted taking Ajit Pawar along.”


This puts Ajit in a vulnerable spot. His faction was already under pressure after two ministers were forced to resign over criminal charges. Now, stripped of his local dominance and viewed with suspicion by the BJP, his leverage is at an all-time low.


Power Struggle

The immediate beneficiary of Ajit Pawar’s decline is likely to be Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Until now, the Ajit Pawar faction had tried to dominate the Shiv Sena (Shinde) within the alliance.


"With these results, the tables have turned," says a Mantralaya insider. "Shinde has held his ground in his strongholds, while Ajit has lost his. We can expect the Shiv Sena to be far more assertive, potentially bogging down the NCP in the state cabinet."


Road Ahead

For Ajit Pawar, the options are shrinking. Unlike his uncle, he does not have the luxury of fluidity. Being in power is his lifeline. Despite the humiliation and the "regret" expressed by the BJP, he is compelled to stay in the government, accepting whatever terms are dictated by the emboldened Fadnavis-Shinde combine.


For Sharad Pawar, the calculus is different but equally grim. The urban voter has moved away, and the "Pawar magic" seems to be fading in the cities. A senior state party leader suggested a radical path forward: a merger with the Congress.


"The latest challenge is keeping the flock together after such a dismal performance," the leader noted. "Age is not on Saheb's side. To ensure the survival of his trusted soldiers and the ideology, merging with the Congress might be the only way to consolidate the opposition vote bank."


All eyes now turn to the Zilla Parishad (ZP) elections scheduled for next month. This will be the true litmus test for the Pawars' existence. While the cities may be lost to the BJP's "Infra Man" image, the rural heartland has traditionally been the NCP's fortress.


If Ajit Pawar fails to deliver in the rural belt, his transformation from a kingmaker to a liability will be complete. For now, the "Devabhau era" has cast a long shadow over Baramati, and the sun seems to be setting on the unquestioned dominance of the Pawars in western Maharashtra.


The Growth Story

  • BJP has won 1,430 seats in the civic polls, up from 1,137 in 2017

  • Shiv Sena won 397 seats across the 29 civic bodies

  • NCP secured 160 seats

  • Shiv Sena (UBT) won 153 seats statewide, a sharp decline from the 501 seats it had won in 2017

  • The NCP (SP) managed only 36 seats, down from 309 in 2017

  • The MNS, which had won 27 seats in 2017, is reduced to 13 this time

  • Smaller parties and independents won a total of 357 seats


“Voters are important, and every political party must continue its efforts. The BJP has achieved significant success, and I congratulate the party for its performance. These civic polls were fought by the BJP under the leadership of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, and the other parties had to face defeat. The party will sit and discuss the outcome. We are working in Mahayuti together and our work is going on.”

Ajit Pawar, Chief, NCP


“I will not say that people have rejected dada, rather they have accepted the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, the BJP and us. I had met Ajit Pawar on the voting day (January 15) when he told me that he would not be attending the cabinet meeting.”

Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister


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