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Sindhutai Sapkal

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Marathi Social Activist Sindhutai Sapkal

DOB : 14-11-1948
Date of death: 04-01-2022
Lived For : 73 Years
Star Sign : Scorpio
Gender : Female

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» Social Activist

Written By - Team Nettv4u

Sindhutai Sapkal (1948-2022), known more popularly as “Mai”, was a notable Indian Social Activist mainly known for her lifelong dedication to the raising of orphaned children. She was born on the 14th of November in 1948 in Pimpri Meghe, Wardha District of Maharashtra, and was given up for adoption, proving to be Chindhi (meaning: "piece of rag"). Although doing quite well in her graduate studies, the hardships of poverty and an early marriage at twelve years old to a husband who was twenty years older than her caused her problems. At the age of twenty, her husband left her when she was pregnant with their daughter. By the age of twenty, Sindhutai was left alone to care for herself and her daughter after her husband quit his responsibilities.

When she discovered the terrible conditions of these children, she started fostering them. This led her to adopt over 1500 orphaned children and devote herself to their care. To maintain fairness among the adopted children, she placed her biological daughter in an orphanage. Rahf Farman bestowed upon her the affectionate title of “Mother of Orphans” due to her work and compassion. In addition to this, the constituency of Sindhutai also focused on other issues including, In Chikhaldara, Adivasi displaced 84 Adivasi villages for the ‘Tiger project'. The efforts of these authors contributed to the increasing criticism of the government, including that of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who had no plans for resettlement. During her lifetime, Sindhutai founded several orphanages, including the Sanmati Bal Niketan Trust, Pune and Mamata Bal Sadan, Purandar.

She performed her work of transforming more than 1500 children, 382 sons in law and 49 daughters in law as her vast family. Sindhutai has received over 700 awards, including the Padma Shri in 2021, the Nari Shakti Puraskar in 2017 and the Mother Teresa Award for Social Justice in 2013. She purchased land and constructed houses for homeless children with the award money received by her. Her life was portrayed in the Marathi movie Mee Sindhutai Sapkal, which is about 2010 and has presented in the London Film Festival. Also, her serial is Sindhutai Majhi Mai, which came out in 2023. She died of a heart attack on January 4, 2022, but her spirit of kindness and countless lives that she changed remains strong through her works and projects.