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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.

Bribery Storm

Updated: Nov 25, 2024

Gautam Adani, the magnate who arguably symbolizes the economic ascendancy of the ‘new’ India, now finds himself entangled in a web of allegations after U.S. prosecutors indicted him, his nephew Sagar Adani, and six associates in an alleged $250 million bribery scheme. The charges are concerned with fraud, international complicity and the misuse of power to secure lucrative solar energy contracts.


The indictment, issued by the Eastern District of New York, accuses the defendants of bribing Indian officials to facilitate the purchase of solar power from the state-owned Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI). The alleged scheme sought to transform undelivered energy deals into a $2 billion post-tax profit over two decades. But the fallout has been swift: a $600 million bond offering cancelled, share prices of Adani companies plunging by nearly 20%, and a renewed debate over the intersection of business and politics in India.


SECI’s inability to find buyers for its power contracts reflects the inefficiencies of India’s energy sector, where opaque processes and political interference are commonplace. When SECI failed to secure agreements with state electricity companies, bribes became the supposed lubricant to move deals forward. This is not merely an Adani problem - it is symptomatic of a system that often rewards those with the deepest pockets and the most powerful connections. While a thorough probe is needed, the timing of the U.S. indictment is curious. It coincides with mounting global scrutiny of India’s corporate governance, particularly following the Hindenburg Research report earlier this year, which had accused the Adani Group of stock manipulation.


The biggest opposition party, the Congress, is always eager to connect the dots between the embattled tycoon and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Rahul Gandhi, leader of the Congress party, wasted no time painting the scandal as proof of a deeper collusion between PM Modi and his billionaire ally. But this narrative glosses over uncomfortable truths. The bribery allegations date back to 2021-2022, a period when several implicated states were under Congress or allied rule. From Chhattisgarh to Tamil Nadu, governments of varying political hues engaged with the Adani Group, benefiting from the infrastructure investments it promised. If the bribes indeed flowed, they implicate not just Adani but also a political ecosystem spanning the ideological spectrum.


There is also the matter of the U.S.’s motivations. The indictment’s timing raises questions about the West’s broader agenda concerning India. Critics argue that such cases are part of a pattern — whether through NGOs, think tanks, or legal actions — to undermine India’s rising global stature. The narratives, whether about alleged electoral interference, human rights, or now corruption, serve to project India’s success as precarious and undeserved. This case highlights the dual standards at play. While the indictment demands accountability from Adani and his associates, it must not distract from the systemic failures that allowed such corruption to take root.

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