Nagpur/Amravati: Mala, a born destitute and abandoned girl who was found in dust bin in a railway station at Jalgaon and brought up in Amravati at Late Ambadaspant Vaidya Divyang, Bewaris Balgruh, Vazzar, run by Padma Shri Shankarbaba Papalkar, cracked a Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) exam and is readying to set foot in Mantralaya — the Maharashtra Secretariat in Mumbai — as a clerk-cum-typist. The MPSC results were declared on Thursday.
Twenty-five years ago, Mala, a blind girl, was found dumped in a dustbin at Jalgaon railway station in Maharashtra. With her parents unknown and untraceable, police took the numb, famished newborn to a remand home in Jalgaon, which fed her and shifted her to a better-equipped rehab home for the deaf and blind 270 km away in Amravati.
Today’s Rate
Wednesday 02 Oct. 2024
She was brought to the Balgruh of senior social worker Padma Shri Shankarbaba Papalkar at Vazzar and her life got a new lease of life with support of Shankarbaba Papalkar. She succeeded in the MPSC examination by studying hard by facing adverse circumstances. She has achieved this success with the help of Shankarbaba Papalkar.
She was named Mala Papalkar. Mala’s mentor and Padma awardee Shankarbaba Papalkar, 81, did not just give her his surname, but also nurtured her talent, schooled her in Braille and made his protege a trailblazer in the world of the visually challenged and orphaned children.
Mala passed her Bachelor of Arts Degree Examination, 2018, from the Government Vidarbha Institute of Science and Humanities (GVISH) in Amaravati. Prof Prakash Tople from Daryapur took over her guardianship for her Degree and Post Graduate Education. From 2019, Mala’s struggle to prove herself through competitive exams began. Mala prepared for the MPSC exam under the guidance of Amol Patil, Director of Unique Academy here.
Mala said that she is happy to have passed the State Public Service Commission exam, but will not stop here and will continue her efforts to clear the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exam. Shankarbaba Papalkar, expressing his pleasure over the success of Mala, said that she has achieved success through sheer determination and hard work. This success will be written in golden letters in the history of rehabilitation of disabled not only in Maharashtra, but in the country. She should be properly honoured by the society, hopes Shankarbaba.
Mala found another Good Samaritan in Prof Amol Patil, Director of Unique Academy, who took up the responsibility to coach Mala for MPSC exams. Mala made two failed attempts to crack an exam for Tehsildar’s post in Aug 2022 and Dec 2023. Later, she took the MPSC clerk (typewriting) test. The success in this test brought joy to the destitutes’ centre at Paratwada, her home for 25 years.
Many people blame their luck and fortune citing lack of opportunities and resources. For such people the story of Mala, a 25-year-old girl, is inspiring.
