Sindhu Shrihari Sapkal alias Sindhutai was a social worker and activist from India. She is well known for her work in uplifting orphaned children. Born to Abhimanji Sathe in 1947, Sindhu Shrihari Sapkal was an intelligent and courageous woman. She was from Pimpri Meghe village in Wardha district, Maharashtra. She belonged to a family of cattle herders. People called her
chindhi (a torn piece of cloth) because she was an unwanted child.
Sindhu’s father strongly supported her education, despite her mother’s objections. He would send her to school under the pretence of cattle grazing. However, she was only able to study up to the 4th standard. At just 12 years old, Sindhutai was married off to a man 20 years older than her. By the time she entered her 20s, she was already a mother of three and pregnant with her fourth child. Her husband abandoned her during pregnancy after being misled by someone who lied about the unborn child’s parentage. She was being beaten by her husband and left all alone. She was forced to take shelter in a cowshed, where she gave birth to her baby girl, Mamta Sapkal.
After being abandoned, she wandered from one place to another with her newborn daughter. She temporarily stayed in a cremation ground, singing and begging at railway stations to survive. But in those hard times, Sindhutai didn’t give up. Her sufferings gave her the strength to notice those of others, especially orphaned children living on the streets.
Out of this pain, her life found its true purpose. She began adopting abandoned and orphaned children, giving them the love, care, and family that she herself had been denied. She eventually became “Mai” (mother) to hundreds of children.
To ensure that all her children were treated equally, Sindhutai even gave away her daughter Mamata to a trust in Pune. She didn’t want her biological child to get special attention while the others felt like outsiders. It was a difficult decision, but it showed just how deeply she cared for every child she adopted. Sindhutai’s love wasn’t just for humans. She also opened a shelter for cows to protect elderly cows from slaughter.
When Sindhutai passed away in January 2022, it was a great loss for many. But her legacy lives on in the hands of her daughter Mamata, now lovingly called Mamata-tai. Just like her mother, she now cares for the big family that Sindhutai built with love, sacrifice, and strength.
Following her commitment towards the betterment of abandoned and orphaned children, she was conferred with Padma Shri (2021) under the Social Work category. She was also honoured with Nari Shakti Puraskar (2017), Ahmadiyya Muslim Peace Prize (2014), Ahilyabai Holkar Award (2010), and Real Heroes Award (2012). In 2013, she received the Mother Teresa Award for Social Justice and became the first recipient of the National Award for Iconic Mother. These achievements reflect her commitment towards society.
In 2010, Anant Mahadevan directed the Marathi biographical film Mee Sindhutai Sapkal, which was inspired by her life.
Shared by: Vijayalaxmi Mishra
