Four girls and a bare plot
Dr. Shankar Baba Pundlikrao Papalkar has spent his life giving family and identity to children who often get the least protection from institutions. According to his official Padma citation, he was born on 14 February 1942.
In 1990 he received 25 acres of land at Vajjhar, about 50 km from Amravati, and started the Late Ambadaspant orphanage for divyang and destitute children. It began with just four girls with disabilities.
A name, not just a roof
At the time of the citation, the ashram had 98 girls and 25 boys, 123 children in all. Papalkar went beyond shelter to identity: according to the citation, his name is entered as father in these children’s Aadhaar records.
He arranged marriages for residents of marriageable age and helped them reach government jobs and bank accounts. The citation records the marriages of 21 daughters and 3 sons, and 12 residents in government jobs.
Care that does not end at eighteen
The Vajjhar model raises a hard question: what happens to adults who still cannot live on their own after they turn 18? Turning the ashram’s barren land into a green campus with thousands of trees was part of the same philosophy of rehabilitation.
Even after the Padma Shri, Papalkar has spoken publicly for changes in law and policy to protect orphaned adults with disabilities.
Sources
- Padma Awards 2024: official citation
- Hindustan Times / ANI: profile
- Times of India: policy interview
- padmaawards.gov.in/Document/pdf/CitationsForTickets/2024/202491.pdf
- hindustantimes.com/india-news/i-dedicate-this-award-to-divyang-children-social-worker-shankar-baba-papalka-on-being-awarded-padma-shri-101706308351304.html
- timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/centre-mulling-law-to-ensure-shelter-even-for-adult-orphans-with-disabilities/articleshow/110021887.cms