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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.

Minister stripped of portfolios after warrant

Mumbai: Governor Devvrat Acharya stripped Sports Minister Manikrao Kokate of his portfolio a day after the Nashik court issued an arrest warrant against him. Kokate rushed to Bombay High Court for relief from arrest. However, the HC declined his plea for urgent hearing or an interim stay.


After the HC decision, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis made a recommendation to the Governor to temporarily hand over the charge of all the departments under Kokate to Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, which was immediately granted.


Meanwhile, it is learnt that Kokate has sent his letter of resignation Ajit Pawar. However, there was no confirmation on this.


Kokate was admitted to Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai on Wednesday morning after complaining of chest pain and respiratory unease. The sudden hospitalisation comes less than 24 hours after a Nashik District and Sessions Court upheld a two-year prison sentence against him, and the subsequent issuance of an arrest warrant.


The legal crisis stems from a case dating back to 1995 involving the fraudulent acquisition of government flats. The court of District and Sessions Judge P.M. Badar confirmed the earlier conviction by a magistrate’s court, finding Kokate and his brother, Vijay, guilty of submitting forged documents to secure apartments under the Chief Minister’s 10 per cent discretionary quota.


The prosecution successfully argued that the Kokate brothers misrepresented their income to qualify for the "Low Income Group" (LIG) category, claiming an annual income of less than Rs 30,000. Evidence presented showed that during the same period, the brothers were earning substantial sums from sugarcane supplies to cooperative mills, far exceeding the eligibility ceiling.


Future On Brink

The upholding of the two-year rigorous imprisonment sentence has triggered an immediate crisis for Kokate's political career. Under the Representation of the People Act, 1951, any legislator convicted and sentenced to two years or more of imprisonment faces automatic disqualification. The key legal impacts involve imminent removal from the State Cabinet, disqualification from the Legislative Assembly (Sinnar constituency) and potential six-year ban from contesting elections after serving the term.


Arrest Warrant

On Wednesday, the Nashik court issued a formal arrest warrant against the Minister, directing the administration to execute the sentence without delay. However, as police moved to take action, Kokate was rushed to Mumbai's Lilavati Hospital. Supporters have termed it a health emergency, while the Opposition has labelled the move a "delay tactic" to avoid immediate incarceration.


Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis reportedly spoke with Deputy CM Ajit Pawar on Wednesday morning to discuss the fallout. Sources indicate that the government is preparing for Kokate’s resignation, with Ajit Pawar seeking time to propose a replacement for the Sports portfolio.


Kokate’s ‘Carefree’ attitude led to arrest warrant

Manikrao Kokate cultivated a "care-free" and "dashing" persona that endeared him to his electorate and won him multiple terms in the Legislative Assembly. However, that very reputation for being untouchable and bold has proved to be his undoing. On Wednesday, the Nashik District and Sessions Court saw through the Minister’s defense, issuing a non-bailable arrest warrant after discovering that his claims of failing health were starkly contradicted by his recent public activities.


While Kokate’s legal team was inside the courtroom pleading for leniency and arguing against the issuance of an arrest warrant on severe medical grounds, the Minister was reportedly behaving as though it were business as usual. The court proceedings revealed a damaging disconnect between the "ailing patient" described by defense lawyers and the active politician seen by the public. The turning point in the hearing came when prosecution lawyers presented a mountain of evidence that effectively dismantled Kokate’s medical plea. The prosecution showcased evidence that Kokate had addressed a high-energy campaign rally just a day before the verdict and records showing that Kokate was healthy enough to attend the State Cabinet meeting in Mumbai.


The prosecution argued that a man capable of navigating the rigors of a cabinet meeting and the physical demands of a political rally could not suddenly be too infirm to face the judicial process.


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