Sindhu Shrihari Sapkal (14 November 1948 – 4 January 2022) affectionately called Sindhutai, was an Indian social worker and social activist known particularly for her work in raising orphaned children in India. She was awarded the Padma Shri in 2021 and many other awards in the Social Work category. Sindhutai Sapkal was born on 14 November 1948, in Pimpri Meghe in Wardha district in the then Central Provinces and Berar of Dominion of India to Abhimanyu Sathe, a cowherder. Sindhutai Sapkal later found herself in Chikhaldara, where she started begging for food. In the process, she realised that there were many children abandoned by their parents and she adopted them as her own. She had to beg even harder to feed ever the larger family. She decided to become a mother to everyone who came across to her as an orphan. She later gave away her own daughter to the Shrimant Dagdu Sheth Halwai trust of Pune, to eliminate the feeling of partiality between her own child and the adopted children. Sindhutai Sapkal devoted herself to orphans. As a result, she was fondly called “Mai”, which means “mother”. She nurtured over 1,500 orphaned children and through them had a grand family of 382 sons-in-law and 49 daughters-in-law. She has been honoured with more than 700 awards for her work. A Heartfelt Tribute to Sindhutai Sakpal In a poignant display of love and respect, the staff members of YCMS campus gathered to pay tribute to the late Sindhutai Sakpal, a selfless champion of orphaned children. The ceremony was a beautiful expression of gratitude for her remarkable life and legacy.
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