Parbhani's Satyabhama Deshmane is 'grandmother' to 100 children of farmers at Snehvan

Navratri is a time when the nine forms of the goddess are worshipped. These forms stand for the strength to fight adversity, the warmth of motherly love and the lesson of sacrifice, and a glimpse of them can be seen in the lives of some people. Satyabhama Baburao Deshmane of Mangrul village in Manwat taluka of Parbhani district is one such person.

Satyabhama and her husband Baburao are pilgrims. Their home was in dire straits. The weekly market had to be done with just Rs 10. To light the hearth, they had to ask a neighbouring household for fire. Besides farm work, Baburao stitched clothes late into the night by the light of a lantern. So that poverty would not come in the way of their son's education, the two worked themselves to the bone. Their only son, Ashok, became a software engineer and took up a job in Pune.

Then, at the age of 26, Ashok decided to leave a high-paying job. His aim was to get an education and a good upbringing for the children of farmers who had died by suicide. Inspired by the ideas of Baba Amte, he started a social project named 'Snehvan'. At first, Satyabhama and Baburao worried about their son's future, but in the end both resolved to back his dream. They left the farm and the house in the village, came to Pune and became grandmother and grandfather to these children.

In the beginning, Satyabhama alone cooked for 20 children. When the children fell ill, she stayed up night after night to look after them. From food to emotional support, she stood by the children in everything. Today she is in charge of Snehvan's kitchen. Baburao teaches the children singing and the mridang. Even after recovering from paralysis, he looks after the cowshed so that the children get good milk. Ashok and his wife Archana also work day and night for the children's future.

Having started as a mother to 20 children, Satyabhama is today grandmother to a hundred, and she keeps the shade of her affection over all of them. She has been honoured with the Indrayani Thadi, Rajmata Jijau, Adarsh Mata-Pita and Dnyanprabodhini's Radhamata awards. The couple, who went on the Pandhari pilgrimage, paused their journey to serve the children. Even so, a new path of devotion opened in their lives in the form of a hundred children. By not confining her motherly love to her own son and instead supporting many children, Satyabhama Deshmane herself reflects the love and sacrifice of Navadurga.