Sindhutai Sapkal (14 November 1948 – 4 January 2022) was an Indian social worker and social activist known particularly for her work in raising orphaned children in India. She was conferred the Padma Shri in 2021 in Social Work category.Sapkal was born on 14 November 1948,in Pimpri Meghe village in Wardha district in the then Central Provinces and Berar of British India to Abhimanyu Sathe, a cowherder.Being an unwanted child, she was referred to as Chindhi (Marathi for "torn piece of cloth"). Abject poverty, family responsibilities and an early marriage forced her to quit formal education after she successfully passed the fourth standard. Sapkal was married off at age 12 to Shrihari Sapkal, who was 20 years her senior, and moved to Nawargaon village, Seloo in Wardha. The marriage did not last long and at the age of 20,she was left on her own to care for female child.
