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ABSTRACT
This article traces the journey of a woman by the name of Sindhutai Sapkal. In her childhood, she faced discrimination as an unwanted girl child; she was married at an early age and abandoned by her husband during her third pregnancy at the age of 20. But her determination to overcome all the tribulations of life through her perseverance to live and bring about change in the lives of orphaned children makes her a role model for women around the world to lead successful and fulfilling lives. Sindhutai constructed over six orphanages in Maharashtra, India to provide food, shelter, and education to such children. Her success in providing basic facilities to orphans made her a truly empowered woman. But her struggle continues, while she raises funds to run her orphanages.
KEYWORDS discrimination; orphanages; unwanted girl child; struggle; empowered woman
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"Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny" - C.S.Lewis
Introduction
This is the story of an extraordinary woman, one who was not so educated and did not have a reputed family background. However, she succeeded in fighting against all odds, in an era and context where women were treated like slaves and girl children were a burden. Abhimanji Sathe lived in Wardha district of Maharashtra, India with his family. He was a cowherd by occupation and, on 14 November 1948, he had a girl child when they were hoping for a boy. Although the child's real name was Sindhu, the villagers nick-named her Chindi, which means a torn piece of cloth. She grew up like a normal village girl. Her mother was against educating girls, but her father, Abhimanji, was keen to send Sindhu to school but did soon the condition that she had to graze cattle as well. She went to school and practised what she learned on leaves while grazing cattle as her parents could not afford books for her. Sindhu studied till the fourth grade and at the age of 10 she was married to Srihari Sapkal who was 20 years older than her. They had three children by the time she was 20.
She was a responsible mother and caring wife and happy with her life until someone came to their...