Father figure

Hemant Kumar Shinde overlooks his physical challenge to help 2,000 fatherless children study in schools

They call him "Shinde baba," out of love and respect because he came to their rescue when life fell apart. In fact for the 2,000 children who call him father, Hemant Kumar Shinde is the only reason they are off the roads and studying in school instead.

Through the NGO he set up in 2009 – Humanity Action Aid, Shinde arranges school fees, study material, uniforms, food and even basic necessities such as tooth paste and soap for children of widowed women. His one aim is to help them rebuild their lives.

It all began in 2007, when Shinde came to Pune from Delhi and saw some children begging on the street. He found out that their father had passed away and though their mother worked as a washerwoman there was never enough money in the house so they had to quit school to earn what they could, as beggars. Their story took him back to his childhood when his own father had passed away, leaving his mother to fend for herself and her two sons. "The family is left without any help when the father dies; there is no compensation or pension and the government does not help. So many of these children end up on the streets," he says.

The 52-year-old has always had a reformist streak, first revolutionising education and soil and water conservation in his village in Satara and then working with orphans in Delhi. His rehabilitation project for widows' children, however, is closest to his heart. Despite being paralysed on his left side, he spends eight to ten hours every day either collecting or distributing aid to students. He also regularly visits 200 schools to check if there are any new children who need help.

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