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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.

Nitish Kumar set for historic 10th term as Chief Minister

PM Modi, Amit Shah to attend grand ceremony at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan today

Patna: In a meticulous display of unanimity, the NDA legislative party on Wednesday endorsed Nitish Kumar to be sworn in as Chief Minister of Bihar for a record tenth time - an unprecedented milestone in Indian politics. He will take the oath at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday before a gallery of national heavyweights, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and chief ministers from 11 states.


According to sources, Shah is expected to reach Patna on Wednesday evening. Earlier, at the NDA meeting in the Central Hall of the Bihar Assembly, BJP leader Samrat Chaudhary proposed Kumar’s name - an endorsement seconded without murmur. Soon after, Kumar, accompanied by Chaudhary, LJP (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan and other allies drove to Raj Bhavan to tender his resignation to Governor Arif Mohammed Khan and staked claim to form the next government. With that, the 17th Bihar Assembly was dissolved, clearing the path for the NDA to begin afresh.


Prior to this, Nitish Kumar was unanimously chosen as the leader of the JD(U) legislative party, with all newly elected JD(U) lawmakers giving him their full support. Similarly, in the BJP legislative party meeting, Samrat Chaudhary was unanimously elected leader and Vijay Sinha the deputy leader. This indicates that Chaudhary and Sinha are likely to become Deputy Chief Ministers. Another speculation is that Chaudhary will continue as Deputy Chief Minister and the second Deputy CM post could go to the LJP (Ram Vilas).


For all his political zigzags, Kumar remains unmatched in oath-taking longevity. He has already been sworn in nine times - eclipsing J. Jayalalithaa’s six terms in Tamil Nadu and will extend his record further. November, it seems, is his political talisman: Thursday’s ceremony will be his fifth November oath since 2005.


In sheer tenure, he still trails Pawan Kumar Chamling of Sikkim (24 years and 165 days), Naveen Patnaik of Odisha (24 years and 99 days), and Jyoti Basu of West Bengal (23 years and 137 days). Yet, Kumar’s near two-decade span - 19.2 years - has been achieved in a far more fractious political marketplace.


Intense wrangling

The NDA’s sweeping 202-seat victory in the 243-member Assembly sets the stage for a cabinet reshuffle of considerable breadth. Based on the alliance’s formula, the BJP may claim 15–16 berths, the JD(U) around 14–15, the LJP (Ram Vilas) two or three, and one each for the Hindustani Awam Morcha and Rashtriya Lok Morcha. Between eight and ten newcomers are expected to enter the ministry, with more women likely to feature this time.


The BJP’s list of probables includes Chaudhary, Nitin Naveen, Mangal Pandey and Hari Sahni, while younger aspirants like Rana Randhir, Gayatri Devi, Vijay Khemka and Maithili Thakur have begun making their case.


On the JD(U) side, stalwarts such as Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, Bijendra Prasad Yadav, Shrawan Kumar and Ashok Chaudhary are tipped to return. Fresh faces may include Umesh Kushwaha, Kaladhar Mandal, Rahul Singh, Sudhanshu Shekhar and Panna Lal Singh Patel. Juma Khan, the NDA’s lone Muslim MLA, is also likely to be inducted.


Minor allies, too, will extract their pound of flesh: Santosh Suman of the Hindustani Awam Morcha, and Upendra Kushwaha’s spouse from the Rashtriya Lok Morcha, are poised for slots. Mr Paswan’s LJP may secure three berths, with Raju Tiwari, Sanjay Paswan and Sanjay Singh among the frontrunners.


The real wrangling is over the choicest posts. The JD(U) is pushing hard for the Assembly Speakership and the Home portfolio; the BJP would prefer to keep them. That the LJP now wants a deputy chief ministership further thickens the broth. Negotiations are continuing at the national level, and the veneer of consensus could thin quickly if the distribution of spoils is deemed unequal.


Nitish Kumar resigns as Bihar CM, Guv accepts it

JD(U) supremo Nitish Kumar on Wednesday submitted his resignation as the head of the outgoing NDA government in Bihar to Governor Arif Mohammad Khan, state BJP president Dilip Jaiswal said.


The governor accepted his resignation and asked him to continue as caretaker chief minister until a new government is formed, Jaiswal told reporters. Kumar was accompanied by Union minister Chirag Paswan, RLM chief Upendra Kushwaha and Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya during his visit to Raj Bhavan.

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