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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.

Welcome the New Year with Open Arms

The end of one calendar year and the beginning of another invite us to reflect on the journey behind us and welcome the New Year with gratitude and inner peace.

As the calendar quietly turns its final pages, we arrive at that tender, reflective space between what has been and what is yet to come. The year is drawing to a close, not with noise alone, but with meaning and quiet introspection. It is a moment that invites us to pause, to breathe deeply, and to acknowledge the journey we have travelled over the past twelve months, with all its lessons, efforts, and emotions. Every ending, after all, carries within it the promise of a new beginning, reminding us that closure is not an end but a transition into possibility.


The closing of a year is not merely a change of dates. It is a symbolic threshold, a pause between what has been lived and what is yet to unfold. Behind us lie days filled with effort and learning, challenges and joys, disappointments and small victories, silent struggles, and moments that will remain unforgettable. Ahead of us stretches a fresh, unwritten chapter, clean pages waiting patiently for new stories to be written, new dreams to be imagined, and renewed hope to take root.


Let us welcome the New Year with open arms, embracing it with openness and intention. Not hesitantly, not fearfully, but wholeheartedly and with quiet confidence. Let us greet it with happiness, not the fleeting kind dependent on circumstances or external rewards, but the deeper happiness that grows from acceptance, gratitude, and inner peace. Let us consciously invite positivity into our lives, understanding that positivity is not the absence of problems but the presence of strength, faith, and clarity even when challenges arise.


As we step forward, let us consciously choose to leave behind the bitterness of the past year. The misunderstandings, the regrets, and the moments of anger or sadness were teachers, not punishments. They came to shape us, to refine our understanding, and to help us grow wiser, stronger, and more compassionate. There is no need to carry their weight into the future or allow them to cloud what lies ahead. What no longer serves our peace, growth, or well-being deserves a gentle and respectful farewell.


This does not mean forgetting the past. On the contrary, it means honouring it with honesty and gratitude. Let us cherish all the memories of the previous year, the laughter shared with loved ones, the quiet moments of self-discovery, the goals achieved through perseverance, and even the failures that taught us resilience and humility. Each memory, whether pleasant or painful, has played a role in shaping who we are today and how we see the world. They are threads in the fabric of our life story, woven together by time and experience, and each one truly matters.


The New Year brings with it a quiet yet powerful sense of renewal. It whispers possibilities and opens the door to fresh beginnings. It encourages us to believe again, to try again despite past setbacks, and to dream again with renewed faith. It invites us to set intentions, not merely resolutions written in haste, but thoughtful and meaningful commitments to ourselves. Commitments to grow steadily, to learn continuously, to be kinder in our words and actions, to work sincerely toward our goals, and to live more consciously each day.


Let us move forward with hope in our hearts and faith guiding our steps. Let us trust that even if the path ahead is not always smooth or predictable, we have the inner strength and resilience to walk it with grace. Let us consciously choose patience over haste, gratitude over complaint, and compassion over judgement in our daily lives. And let us make room for beautiful things, beautiful thoughts, beautiful habits, beautiful relationships, and meaningful experiences that enrich our lives and uplift our spirit.


May the coming year be one of balance and clarity, guiding us toward a more mindful way of living. May it bring peace to the mind, warmth to the heart, and a deeper sense of purpose to our actions and choices. May we learn to celebrate small joys, respect our own pace, and honour our inner values as we move through each day. May we become not just more successful in what we do, but more fulfilled in who we are.


As the old year gently takes its leave, let us bow to it with gratitude. And as the New Year arrives, let us step forward with courage, positivity, and open hearts, ready to embrace all that life has in store.


Happy New Year to you.

 

(The writer is a tutor based in Thane. Views personal.)


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