It has been two years since Sunandatai Patwardhan's passing on January 10, 2024, yet my memories of her are as clear as ever. My association with her spanned over fifteen years. Around 2007, representing the Rotary Club of Thane Suburban and the Prabhakar Foundation, I first came into contact with her and the organization she founded — Pragati Pratishthan.
Our initial collaboration began with projects like distributing bicycles to tribal children and domestic hand mills to women in the Jawhar-Mokhada region. The first major initiative we worked on together was the 2009 solar electrification project in Bhatipada. More than 30 homes in the village received solar power, positively impacting the lives of over 200 tribals. Energized by the success, we expanded the project to five or six more villages. Later, we carried out a solar drip irrigation scheme in Sakhli Pada, a piped water supply project, and many more in the next decade. A pattern emerged — Sunandatai would show us the direction, and we would follow.
In the last five or six years, however, our contact had lessened. I met her for the last time six months before her passing away at a public event. Her face looked tired, but her eyes still shone with the same brilliance. I greeted her with deep respect, touching her feet. “Do you recognize me?” I asked. “I’m Girish Ghate.” She paused just for a moment, then her face lit up. “Oh! Where have you been? It’s been so long.” Standing beside her was a new associate from Pragati Pratishthan. She recounted every detail of our earlier projects to him — even after all these years. I never imagined that would be our last meeting.
Sunandatai was born on March 9, 1939, in Wai, into the Ghotwadekar family. Her maiden name was Shashikala. In 1956, she married Vasantrao Patwardhan of Thane, popularly known as Appasaheb. A dedicated social worker and member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, he left his job in 1963 to become a full-time worker. Sunandatai supported him wholeheartedly — at home and in his mission. With no regular income, she started home-based businesses to support the family, raised their children with care, and gradually involved herself in social work.
Together, they founded Pragati Pratishthan in 1972. The organization began working for the tribal communities in Jawhar-Mokhada. Since local children had no access to education, they set up a hostel in Jawhar and later started a school for hearing-impaired children. They also built a network of grassroots volunteers.
After Appasaheb’s death in 2006, Sunandatai didn’t stop. She took over the organization’s leadership, focusing not only on education but also on improving the quality of life in remote tribal areas. She saw the need for sustainable livelihoods, especially for women and youth. She mobilized women into self-help groups, initiated cottage industries, started anganwadis (childcare centers), and helped the youth stay rooted in their villages.
One of her most impactful projects was the piped water supply scheme. For months each year, locals had to walk miles to fetch drinking water. Disturbed by this, she implemented a system to pump and store water in village tanks, distributing it to homes. Over 50,000 families across 140 padas benefited.
She also promoted water conservation through bunds and forest check dams, aiding agriculture in 48 villages. Her solar power project brought electricity to over 6,000 homes and 275 padas — lighting homes, paths, and lives.
Under her leadership, Pragati Pratishthan launched numerous initiatives: nutrition for over 300 children, farmer savings groups benefiting 3,000+ farmers, and annual multiple cropping strategies. Importantly, she built a capable team to carry on her legacy, handing over the organization’s reins in its 50th year.
Though Sunandatai is no longer with us, she lives on in the light she spread — in every home she helped illuminate, in every life she transformed.
— Girish Ghate
ghategp@gmail.com | 9820146432
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