Baiyyaji

Sh.Shankar Dinkar Kane (Dec 6, 1924 – Oct 26, 1999) was a social worker from Maharastra. He was working as Maths and Science teacher in a school in Konkan coast. In the year 1971, he decided to leave his job and pursue his life-long dream – Work in North East.

While he started his journey to NE, he asked his students if anyone is willing to join him in the sewa trip. A 10 year old kid, who was more interested in the tour and train journey rather than the sewa trip, joined him.

Kaneji went to Manipur and started his work at Imphal, then shifted to Ukhrul, a district head quarters, and then to Tusom, the last village on the way to Myanmar border. In Tusom, Kaneji started to teach the local students.

Kaneji learnt their language to be among one of them. Through commitment and selfless love Shankar Dinkar Kane became Bhaiyyaji for the locals. After working for a year, Baiyyaji realised that to get greater exposure and quality education the locals should go out of the state. Baiyyaji suggested that he will take few boys from the state and get them educated in other parts of the country. Though many supported, few locals started to question his intent and they became suspicious. They said that if he can leave the 10 year old boy in the village, he can take the other students. He convinced his student (10year old boy), who accompanied him to NE, and left him in the village and took a batch of 30 local students to Karanataka and Maharastra.

To support the education of the NE children, Baiyyaji started Purva Seema Vikash Prathisthan (PSVP), an NGO with the objective of National Integration through Education. Baiyyaji started to collect donation for educating the boys from NE.

For the next 15-20 years, he took more than 300 students from NE and got them educated in Maharastra and Karnataka. And, now many are in good position.

Bhaiyyaji breathed his last on Oct 26, 1999. On the first death anniversary of Baiyyaji, his 30 students decided to start schools in Manipur. As of now, 3 schools are functioning in the name of Shankar Vidyalaya.

  • Pou Shankar Kane Vidyalaya, Tamenglong20190328_165847
  • Pu Shankar Kane Vidyalaya, Ngaloimoul
    20190330_100625
  • Oja Shankar Vidyalaya, Kharasom
    20190331_134844

The 10 year old boy, who was left in the village, is Sh. Jaywant Kondvilkar. Now, he is the secretary of PSVP.

 

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