Sindhutai Sapakal’s story begins with heartbreak. Married off at 12 and abandoned during her pregnancy amid false accusations, she gave birth alone using a stone to cut the umbilical cord. With her newborn daughter latched to her chest, she took to begging—marking the start of a life dedicated to caring for orphaned children.
Despite having only studied till Class 4, Sindhutai transformed personal tragedy into a mission of maternal compassion. “She never let her pain turn into bitterness,” recalls her daughter Mamata, who was born in that moment of distress.
The Mother of Thousands
In 1998, Sindhutai founded a sanstha (orphanage) in Pune that became home to more than a thousand orphans over the years. While she had four biological children, she became ‘Maai’ to thousands more, raising them as her own with warmth, discipline, and unshakable hope. She insisted on education and self-sufficiency, often saying, “I want to give whatever I didn’t get—whether it was love or opportunities.”
Her maternal reach shaped futures. One of her children, Manju Shah Gopal Gaikwad, now serves as sarpanch of Kumbharvalan village, using self-help groups to empower rural women. “She told me it was time to give back to the village that once helped us survive,” Manju recalls.
Carrying the Legacy Forward
Since Sindhutai’s death in 2022, the Sindhutai Sapakal Foundation has been helmed by her daughter Mamata. “I grew up in the sanstha among children who called her Maai. I never questioned it—it was her destiny,” Mamata says. Under her leadership, the Foundation continues to offer shelter, education, and love to underprivileged children in Maharashtra.
Her story reminds us that sometimes, motherhood transcends bloodlines—it becomes a powerful act of resistance and revolution.