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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.

Temba stands tall as Proteas ‘Hope’

  • PTI
  • Jun 14, 2025
  • 3 min read

By Kushan Sarkar

New Delhi: Never ask Temba Bavuma 'what's there in a name'?

They have trolled him for his pre-captaincy batting average, body shamed him, resorted to name calling but for Bavuma, the new World Test Champion captain from South Africa, it was all in the name.


The name 'Temba' given by his grandmother means 'Hope' in Zulu.


Just like his name, Temba never gave up on hope, that one day, the Proteas as a nation will be on top of the world at his dream ground --Lord's.


Just as Kyle Verreynne hit the winning runs, Temba covered his face with his palms even as others around him were ecstatic.


He perhaps wanted to hide his moistened eyes, didn't want to choke up like teammate Keshav Maharaj but after leading South Africa to its first ICC trophy in 27 years.


The first-ever Black Captain to win a global trophy for the Rainbow Nation -- probably the brightest colour in the VIBGYOR, the man, all of 63 inches vertically towered over an Australian team that has 10 ICC trophies.


But it is not just a victory of a cricket team but for all those Black South Africans, who have suffered during apartheid for years. Seeing their 'Little Big Man' who walked through that Lord's Long Room, entered the field, carried himself with utmost grace as he lifted the Golden mace.


When the next chapter of South Africa's social history in the post apartheid era will be written, Temba , Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi's names will be enshrined in gold. There will be Indian origin players like Maharaj and Senuran Muthusamy and white South Africans like Aiden Markram, David Bedingham and Tristan Stubbs.


"Here's an opportunity for us as a nation, divided as we are, to unite. You can be rest assured we'll celebrate as one," Temba told Nasser Hussain during presentation.


Special talent

By the age of 11, Temba was on a sports scholarship after being identified as a special talent. As a sixth grader, he had once written an essay that found its pride of place in school magazine.


In exactly 15 years, he was playing for South Africa.


And if one knows his goal, the journey however difficult it might be, never looked improbable.


When he was appointed the captain, there were voices down the corridors of South African cricket establishment that raised questions if he was deserving. His batting average was in early 30s but little did they think that with a game built on copious amount of patience and the grit that was on show on Friday, Temba would be averaging 57 plus as a batter when he captained South Africa.


But it is not his on-field achievements that makes him special but off-field connections that he has made over the years that makes him an endearing human being. One who believes in inclusivity.


He never had any ill feelings when Quinton de Kock didn't take a knee to support 'Black Lives Matter' movement. But in the last three years, he has shown how to take everyone along -- the Blacks, the Whites and the Coloured.


He runs a foundation which helps underprivileged children get education and chance to excel at sport like he did. He lives a quiet life with his wife Phila Lobi, a Real Estate Mogul and his child.

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