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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.

Can Mumbai Cricket's Golden Legacy Produce Another Sachin Tendulkar?

As the cradle of Indian cricket, Mumbai has churned out legends like Sunil Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsarkar, and Sachin Tendulkar, the Little Master himself. Tendulkar, born in 1973, debuted at 16 and redefined batting with his 24-year odyssey of 100 international centuries. But in an era of T20 dominance, IPL glamour, and global distractions, will Mumbai's fabled maidans—Wankhede, Shivaji Park, Cross Maidan—birth another such phenomenon? My view: it's unlikely in the near future, though the talent pool remains deep. Mumbai's system excels at nurturing skills, but the Tendulkar alchemy of timing, temperament, and opportunity feels increasingly rare.


A Factory of Icons

Mumbai's cricket ecosystem is unmatched. Shivaji Park, where Tendulkar honed his craft under coach Ramakant Achrekar, symbolizes this. The city hosts the Harris Shield and Giles Shield, breeding grounds for prodigies. Tendulkar emerged from here, smashing a half-century on Ranji debut at 15. The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) dominates domestic cricket, winning 41 Ranji Trophies - the most by any team. This infrastructure, combined with a street-smart, pressure-cooked culture, forges resilient players.


Yet, replication is tough. Tendulkar benefited from a Test-heavy era. In the 1980s-90s, local leagues like Kanga and Talim sharpened technique against spin and seam on uncovered pitches. Parents like Tendulkar's allowed single-minded focus; his school prioritized cricket. Today, that purity dilutes amid coaching academies charging fees and parental ambitions pushing multi-sport diversification.


Irreplaceable Magic

What made Tendulkar singular? Technique fused with genius: the straight drive, wristy flicks, and 360-degree adaptability. Off the field, humility and hunger shone—no scandals, just 15,921 Test runs and 18,426 in ODIs. Mumbai provided the stage, but his DNA and era aligned perfectly. He faced Wasim Akram and Shane Warne at their peak, building an iron will.


Post-Tendulkar, Mumbai produced stars like Rohit Sharma (42 Tests, IPL captaincy mastery) and Ajinkya Rahane (solid but not transcendent). Prithvi Shaw dazzled with a 546 in school cricket but faltered under IPL hype and inconsistency—six Tests, average 10. Current prospects like Yashasvi Jaiswal (Mumbai-born, IPL-starred) show promise: 2,716 Ranji runs, India Test debut centurion. Sarfaraz Khan aggregates massively in domestics (4,379 Ranji runs). But neither matches Tendulkar's longevity or impact. Jaiswal's flair evokes echoes, yet T20's slap-pull obsession risks diluting his red-ball purity.


Modern Challenges

T20 has reshaped Mumbai cricket. The IPL, with Mumbai Indians' five titles, spotlights white-ball hitters over accumulators. Youngsters chase sixes for contracts, sidelining defensive drills. Tendulkar played 664 internationals; today's kids eye IPL auctions first. Data backs this: since 2010, Mumbai's Ranji batting average dropped 5-7 points, per Cricbuzz stats, reflecting aggressive shifts.


Urban pressures compound issues. Mumbai's space crunch means fewer maidans; Cross Maidan floods with nets, but quality bowlers dwindle as they migrate to IPL franchises. Coaching commercializes—Achrekar's free, instinctive methods yield to video analysis and biomechanics. Nutrition and fitness improved, but mental fortitude lags. Tendulkar endured without sports psychologists; now, overload breeds fragility, as seen in Shaw's slump.


Globalisation fragments loyalty. Talents like Jaiswal train in Rajasthan academies for exposure. Parental coaching via YouTube supplants gully wisdom. Women's cricket thrives (e.g., Smriti Mandhana), but men's talent thins at the top.


Glimmers of Hope

Still, Mumbai pulses with potential. The MCA's refurbished facilities and National Cricket Academy tie-ups nurture raw talent. Initiatives like MCA's age-group programs scout slums to suburbs. Jaiswal, at 23, could evolve into a 10,000-run Test batter. Emerging names — Angkrish Raghuvanshi (U19 World Cup star), Musheer Khan (Ranji centurions) — hint at revival.


Yet, Tendulkar 2.0 demands confluence: a once-in-generation talent, stable India selection, and Test cricket's primacy. With The Hundred, Big Bash, and SA20, formats splinter focus. India's batting depth (Yashasvi, Shubman Gill) crowds pathways, unlike Tendulkar's monopoly.


Mumbai will produce fine cricketers—captains, IPL heroes, maybe a Kohli-esque chaser. But another Tendulkar? improbable soon. His era's alchemy—grit-forged maidans, Test worship, singular devotion—clashes with T20's frenzy. The city must reclaim its soul: prioritize red-ball leagues, mentor intuitively, resist commercialization. Until then, Tendulkar remains the unmatchable jewel in Mumbai's crown.


(The writer is a senior journalist based in Mumbai. Views personal.)

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