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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.

Collector, officials trapped in siege

Mumbai: In a major development, scores of government officials, including the Palghar Collector Dr. Indurani Jakhar, were trapped after thousands of angry tribals, farmers and activists laid siege to the Collectorate building here on Tuesday evening, the organisers said.

 

The long-march with over 50,000 participating started from different parts of the district on Monday and culminated after traversing around 70 kms at the Collectorate, where they were stopped by a huge posse of police.

 

“We requested permission to enter and stage our dharna inside the sprawling building compound, but they flatly refused. We had no option but to occupy the main road that links Palghar-Boisar, creating traffic jams. We have now blocked  all the entry and exit points, while the district officials announced the closure of the road indefinitely late in the evening,” All India Kisan Sabha President Dr. Ashok Dhawale told ‘The Perfect Voice’ from the venue.

 

Marking the biggest agitation in over a year, more than 50,000 trooped out on roads from various villages and hamlets across the district for various demands.

 

These include scrapping of the Wadhawan mega-port and Murbe port projects, restoration of the MNREGA, implementation of the Forest Rights Act and PESA, vesting of all ‘inaam’ and government lands in the name of the tillers, cancelling the Smart Meter Scheme, Repeal of new Labour Codes, drinking and irrigation water supply, plus others like enhanced facilities for education, health, employment, etc.

 

“We had already informed the authorities on the long march and we are hopeful that we shall be called for talks on Wednesday. We shall not budge from here till all our demands are conceded in writing and implemented within a time-frame,” said a grim Dr. Dhawale.

 

Spearheaded by the Communist Party of India (Marxist), it has the participation of  several fronts like AIKS, Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA), Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) and Student’s Federation of India (SFI) and Adivasi Adhikar Rashtriya Manch (AARM).

 

The long march is being led by Dr. Dhawale along with AIDWA National General Secretary Mariam Dhawale, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Vijoo Krishnan, Central Committee member Dr Ajit Nawale, CITU State Secretary Vinod Nikole, two-term MLA from Dahanu Kiran Gahala and others.

 

A party spokesperson said that the long-march started from Charoti in Dahanu tehsil and en route, hundreds joined the crowds. After an overnight halt at Manor last night, it proceeded to the district Collectorate on (Tuesday) evening where the indefinite siege began.

 

“So far, everything is proceeding peacefully. There has been no violence or any coercive action from the police side. We are optimistic that our meeting on Wednesday will pass off successfully,” added Dr. Dhawale.

 

The long march saw major traffic snarls on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad National Highway, arterial roads in Palghar, Thane and beyond as people were stuck for hours as the vehicles moved at snail’s pace since Monday.


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