What is it to be tormented by your husband at a very tender age? What is it to be abandoned by your loved one when you are pregnant as a seventeen year old girl with a 9 month baby in your womb? What is it to use a stone to cut the umbilical cord that connects you to your baby?
Sindhutai Sapkal is the one to know what all these are since she underwent all this and more. Sindhutai is not just a name, it is an inspiration.
She began to beg on the streets to take care of her infant child’s needs. Through the harrowing journey of begging and raising a child, she realized that there were many more just like her who were abandoned by loved ones and she started turning them into her own family. She has adopted and raised and protected over 1400 orphans – has fed them, given them education and helped them settle in life. Her family tree has branched off to include 207 sons-in-law, 36 daughters-in-law, and over 1,000 grandchildren. She has been nicknamed as the “Mother of Orphans”.
After having been very cruel to her, her husband too returned seeking mercy for his deeds. She accepted him as her first child as she could only harbour motherly love to anyone anymore.
She has been honoured with over 500 awards but still remains humble. Some days, she still fights to provide for the next meal. She continues to look for abandoned orphans and wishes to take her efforts globally.
Her life continues to be a story of strength rooted in compassion. A story of inspiration that makes one believe in the adage that “when one door closes, another opens”.
