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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.

Race for supremacy

Fadnavis is strong on political front, facing difficulties in administrative push

Mumbai: For Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, this year has not just been about reclaiming his administrative legacy; it has been about proving that the BJP remains the indispensable anchor of stability, especially as the party navigates the choppier waters of coalition politics in New Delhi.


The opposition parties in the state, though broken by the 2024 defeat, have had a field day. Throughout the past year, they adopted a “shoot and scoot” strategy, levelling corruption charges against ministers with alarming frequency. While many charges haven’t stuck, the sheer volume has kept the government on the defensive. The MVA’s narrative has found some traction in rural pockets, where agrarian distress remains a sore point despite the government’s new loan restructuring schemes.


If Fadnavis’ first term (2014-2019) is remembered for the Metro and the Samruddhi Mahamarg, his third term is shaping up to be defined by direct benefit transfers and social security. Sensing the rural distress that cost the ruling alliance dearly in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Fadnavis shifted gears immediately upon taking charge last December.


Flagship Scheme

The flagship ‘Ladki Bahin Yojana’, initially launched as a poll promise, saw a massive expansion this year. The monthly aid was not only regularized but the coverage was expanded to include women from slightly higher income brackets, effectively turning a welfare scheme into a universal social dividend for Maharashtra’s women.


Government’s decision to offer complete electricity bill waivers for agricultural pumps up to 7.5 HP came as a massive relief to the Vidarbha and Marathwada belts. Coupled with the aggressive implementation of the Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Jan Arogya Yojana—which now covers medical expenses up to Rs 5 lakh for every family regardless of income criteria—the Fadnavis administration has successfully created a “welfare safety net” that the opposition has found difficult to puncture.


Undisputed Heavyweight

One year in, Devendra Fadnavis remains Maharashtra’s undisputed political heavyweight. His administrative grip is firm, and his vision for a trillion-dollar state economy is back on track. Yet, the political capital required to maintain this speed is higher than ever.


In 2014, he was a man in a hurry, leading from the front. In 2025, he is a man in a hurry, but one who must constantly check his rearview mirror to ensure his partners are still with him—and not dragging the wheels. The coming year, with the local body polls as the battleground, will decide if his administrative reforms can indeed survive the corrosive nature of coalition politics.


Shaky Delhi

The political significance of this stability extends far beyond the state’s borders. With the BJP at the Centre grappling with the constraints of a coalition government and a reduced mandate since the 2024 general elections, Maharashtra has emerged as the party’s most critical fortress.


On the backdrop of fractured mandate in Lok Sabha elections followed by the sudden exit of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Fadnavis has played the role of the reliable lieutenant perfectly. By insulating the state’s economy from political tremors and ensuring Mumbai remains an investment magnet – attracting over 40 per cent of India’s total FDI in 2025 – he has also provided the Centre with the economic narrative it desperately needs to counter the “slowdown” critiques.


Road Ahead

As the state gears up for the impending Local Body elections, the Fadnavis government faces its true litmus test. The narrative is set: on one side, a slew of populist decisions—free healthcare, direct cash transfers, and accelerated slum redevelopment in Mumbai—aimed at the common voter. On the other, the undeniable friction of a three-headed coalition and the opposition’s charges of corruption.


For now, Devendra Fadnavis has managed to keep the ship steady and the passengers relatively happy.


The Report Card

Pass

1. Push for investments

2. Focus on infrastructure

3. Reduced electricity rate

4. Welfare schemes


Fail

1. Failure in maintaining social harmony

2. Lack of tough action against corruption

3. Internal friction in ruling alliance

4. Rising law and order issues



“The government is busy patting its own back. They sit in five-star hotels and narrate their achievements, but people have received nothing except disappointment.”

Vijay Wadettiwar, Leader, Congress

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