top of page

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.

BJP's Gen-Z Power Play

Forty-five-year-old Nitin Nabin formally takes charge as party’s youngest president

New Delhi: In a historic move since the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) formation, 45-year-old youth leader Nitin Nabin has been elected unopposed as the party's 12th national president. In handing the reins to Nabin, the BJP has reaffirmed its commitment to a developed India by 2047 through the vigor of young energy.


On Tuesday, in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former president J.P. Nadda, Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, and Amit Shah, Nabin formally assumed charge at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi during the organization's foundation day celebrations. With the responsibilities now squarely on his young shoulders, Nabin faces an immediate litmus test in the upcoming assembly elections across five states.


Giant Leap

By appointing its youngest-ever national president, the BJP has taken a giant leap in Indian politics, channeling youth power toward building a developed India. This contrasts sharply with Congress leader and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi's repeated calls to Gen Z to rally against the Modi government and BJP-efforts that yielded no success, whether in the Bihar assembly polls or the recent Lok Sabha elections. Despite Congress projecting the 55-year-old Gandhi as a youth icon, even posters in his Rae Bareli parliamentary constituency ahead of a rally depicted him in an Indian cricket team jersey alongside Akhilesh Yadav, branding Gandhi as "Team India captain" to target young voters.


The BJP's bold choice has rattled opposition parties while signaling a generational shift within its ranks, rallying young talent to shape India's future. However, Nabin must prove his mettle as an organizational leader. Assembly elections loom in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala, and Puducherry-states where, barring Assam, the BJP confronts stiff challenges. Nabin's biggest test lies in securing victories for the BJP in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, where regional parties dominate and the BJP struggles against entrenched dominance.


At the event, Prime Minister Modi accused infiltrators of plundering the nation, asserting that India will never accept them. The BJP has spotlighted demographic changes driven by infiltrators in West Bengal and Assam as key issues. Modi also hailed the BJP-NDA's wins in recent municipal elections in Maharashtra and Kerala. Underscoring the party's culture, he remarked: "People think Modi became chief minister at such a young age and has been head of government for the past 25 years. But above all, I am a karyakarta (worker). I accept that Nitin ji is my "Boss" now. I've submitted my report card, and he will evaluate my work."


Modi emphasized that the BJP is more than a party, it's a Sanskar (value system), a family where "membership" transcends into deep "relationships." He described it as a tradition driven not by positions but by processes: "Here, assuming office is a system, but responsibilities last a lifetime. Presidents change, but ideals don't. Leadership evolves, but direction remains steadfast."

 

In his address, Nabin urged youth to enter politics, echoing PM Modi's call on August 15, 2024, for young people to join public life. "Distance from politics isn't the solution-active participation is," he said. "But politics isn't a shortcut or a 100-meter sprint; it's a long marathon testing stamina, not speed. We must strengthen our roots and bat steadily on the political pitch." Defining politics as sadhana (devotion) rather than power, he added: "In our party, politics is not about wielding power but practice; not indulgence but sacrifice; not luxury but penance; not a position but accountability."

 

Nitin Nabin and PM Modi's speeches signal the BJP's intent to harness youth power alongside the organization to build a developed India, mounting a direct challenge to Rahul Gandhi's Gen Z appeals.

 

• Outpacing Rahul's Gen-Z Calls, BJP Bets Big on Youth Marathon for Viksit Bharat

• I accept that Nitin ji is my "Boss" now. I've submitted my report card, and he will evaluate my work.: PM Modi

• Nabin urged youth to enter politics, echoing PM Modi's call on August 15, 2024, for young people to join public life. "Distance from politics isn't the solution-active participation is needed," he said.

 


Comments

bottom of page