Maayi - The Mother Of Orphans

In 1948, 14 November, there was a girl born in pimpari village, wadhra district of Maharashtra, named “chindi”.

“Chindi” in Marathi means “torn peace of cloth”. 

She was named “chindi” because she was unwanted, her parents, as most likely by India parents, were expecting boy birth, when she arrived in this world.

Her mother lost her hopes and got devastated by her arrival. She carried out her all frustration on her.

But, Chindi was always full of positivity, she never took anything against her mother, nor her heartful remark also, she understood her situation, it’s all due to the financial crisis, they were facing.

“A mother love cannot be questioned, or be judged, due to her situational capabilities”, she always believed.

Though she has always treated as an unwanted child but eventually after seeing her interest in studies, her father started supporting her, by going against her wife will.

Her father was cowherd, not so well off. But he supported her and started sending her to school under the pretext of cattle grazing so that her mother won’t be able to know that, she is in school.

She used tree leaf, like slate, due to lack of financial resources.

But, that didn’t stop her from achieving good marks and passed in the fourth standard.

 Her father, was happy about her achievement m but due to his limitations, he couldn’t make her studies longer, and eventually got agreed to a marriage proposal, bought out by his wife.

Chindi got married at the young age of Ten to Thirty-year-old grown-up man, who himself was a cowherd like his father.

On the day of her marriage, her mother first time cried, while sending her off and whispered her some old lady advice.

 “Chindi, there is only one home after marriage and that is your husband home”. She whispered in her ears.

There were no tears in Chindi's eyes while waving her off.

Chindi's new life started after marriage. She was adjusting to a new environment and was getting used to of routine.

Except for a few days of early marriage, her ten-year marriage can be summoned into the biggest grief of her life.

And one day her abusive and beater husband has decided to abounded her, just after some small feud between them

Till then, she has bored three sons with him and reached the adolescent age of twenty.

And She was nine months pregnant when her husband, showed her path of outside.

At that critical stage, she didn’t know what to do, she was only a few days left to delivery.

She started to live day in and out in cow shelter, outside their house.

And One night, after spending hours, on labor pain, she gave birth to a girl child, all by herself, and cut her umbilical cord on her own, with a sharp stone, lays nearby.

That night, after giving birth to her child, she walked several kilometers away to her mother's place, with lots of hope and no other option left. She knew, doesn’t matter, how much her mother doesn’t like her but she certainly doesn’t hate her as she is her daughter.

But her thoughts shattered in a second when her mother refused to let her in.

Devastated by life, abundant by husband, deceived by her own mother made Chindi hopeless about life.

And she decided to end her life.

“What’s the use of this life, when your own people, deceive you, cheat you, don’t love you, ending the life is ending the pain” she felt.

Chindi has always been raised like an orphan, in spite of being raised by her own parents and always have craved of mother love.

After marriage also she didn’t get any respect or affection from his husband side, who was abusive and aggressive beater in nature.

With her “few days old” daughter in her hand, she went to the railway station to end her life. 

She was standing alone on the railway track, she saw the train was coming from a far distance. 

It was the time of departure, she needs to jump off from railway track to end this pain forever.

She looked behind to see her daughter face at last time, who was laying on the bench, with little distance from her. 

Her daughter was crying badly, at that moment, her mother instinct made her refused to leave, she thought to feed her first and later on, go with the plan.

But soon, her motherly feeling overpowered her cowardice as she decided to stay back with her baby and fight with life, all over again.

She started begging on the footpath, near the railway track for food and clothes to look after her daughter. And spent her day and night in open footpaths. It was difficult to carry on living like this, but she had to pass this difficult phase to survive, for herself and her child.

A mother in herself, never let her lose hope or lose the battle.

With time, she has learned to cope up with this life also, and she saw many children’s who were abandoned by their parents

Chindi knew this feeling, the feeling of abandoned, the feelings of not loved, the feeling of begging, living on streets, she could feel their pain. 

Inspite of being herself homeless, she adopted these children’s and started begging earnestly, for them also.

She didn’t want them to beg, she adopted them and provided shelter to them.

Gradually, with time, she adopted, every abandoned child, who crossed her path. 

Her efforts got recognized by people, and people started supporting her in a noble cause.

Chindi, the girl who always craved for mother affection has now become “maayi” to a thousand orphans. 

And “maayi” in Marathi means “Mother”.

Note. Some part of this story is not purely factual, This is a fictional story, inspired by the real life of Dr. Sindhutai Sapkal.

The fictional liberty is taken to show the connectivity of events.

Dr. Sindhutai Sapkal has been honored by a Mother Teressa award in 2013.

Till now, she has supported more than 1400 orphans, help in funding their education, married them. Some of them even are doctors, lawyers, and engineers.