Sindhutai Sapkal’s life began being an unwanted child. Her husband, who abused her, abandoned her when she was nine months pregnant and she had to give birth alone. The incident affected her deeply and she thought about committing suicide, but instead, she began to beg on railway platforms to feed her daughter.
Over time, she realized that there were many orphans and abandoned children in the streets. Having had to endure many hardships herself, she decided to adopt them and started begging more intensively in order to feed them. That's how she came to be known as the “orphans’ mother”. “I was committed to caring for and raising them as my own children. I'm there for those who have no one”, he says fondly. At 68, Sindhutai has many stories behind a strong personality full of energy and passion.
To date, she has adopted and fed more than 1400 orphans, helping them to get an education and supporting them to get ahead in life. Sinduthai is affectionately known as “Mai” (mother). She does not give children up for adoption and treats them as if they were her own. Some of them are now lawyers, doctors and engineers.
With love and compassion, Sindhutai has built a large family. “By the grace of God, I had good communication skills. I could go talk to people and influence them. Hunger made me talk, and this became my source of income. I give many speeches in various places, and this provides some money to care for my children.”
Sindhutai’s unusual life is an inspiration. Even after facing so many difficulties, she has remained strong and has found her way into everyone’s heart, proving that it is possible to turn lives around as well as the lives of thousands of people around them.
