30th ‘Baya Karve Award’ Presented to Smt. Meenakshi Nikam
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29 November 2025 — On behalf of the Maharshi Karve Stree Shikshan Samstha, this year’s, i.e. 30th Baya Karve Award was presented to Smt. Meenakshi Nikam, President of the Apang Vikas Bahu-Uddeshiya Sanstha in Chalisgaon and the initiator of the ‘Swayamdeep’ project for persons with disabilities. The award was conferred by Dr. Avinash Vachasundar, National Executive Committee Member of Saksham, an organisation working in the disability sector, on the occasion of Baya Karve’s 75th death anniversary. The award comprises ₹1,01,000 and a memento.
The ceremony was held at the amphitheatre of Rama Purushottam Vidya Sankul of Maharshi Karve Stree Shikshan Samstha. On the dais were Chief Guest Dr. Avinash Wachasundar; the awardee Smt. Meenakshi Nikam; Smt. Smita Ghaisas, President of MKSSS; Smt. Smita Kulkarni, Vice President; Trustee Shri. Purushottam Lele; Chairman Shri. Ravindra Dev; Vice Chairperson Smt. Vidya Kulkarni; Secretary Dr. P. V. S. Shastri; and Baya Karve Award Selection Committee Members Smt. Bageshree Manthalkar (Member, Management Council, Savitribai Phule Pune University) and Dr. Prasad Joshi (Vice-Chancellor, Deccan Deemed University, Pune).
“In the same way that Anna—Maharshi Karve—and Baya faced great challenges in their lives, the awardee Smt. Meenakshi Tai Nikam too has borne similar challenges. Honouring her is, in a way, an honour for our institution itself,” said Chairperson Shri. Ravindra Dev in his introductory address. Dr. Prasad Joshi, member of the selection committee, explained the selection process.
During the event, a portrait of Baya Karve was gifted by the institution to the Lokmanya Tilak Smarak wachan Mandir (library) in Chiplun for its newly established art gallery. Trustee Shri. Prakash Deshpande accepted the portrait on behalf of Wachan Mandir and expressed his sentiments too.
Following the screening of a short film based on Smt. Meenakshi Nikam’s work, she was formally presented with the Baya Karve Award 2025.
“This award is both a responsibility and a deep trust bestowed upon me by society. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to become, in some small way, a stone in the temple built by Anna and Baya,” said Smt. Meenakshi Nikam—fondly known as the ‘mother of the differently abled’—in her acceptance speech. She added, “When I began working for the disabled, I had nothing except a strong will. Life felt like the sky had torn open. But gradually, pillars of compassion appeared to hold up that torn sky. Today’s award, too, feels like one such strong support. To have the names of Anna and Baya associated with my work gives me a profound sense of fulfilment. After personally experiencing the difficulties faced by disabled people in obtaining government documents, I resolved to dedicate my life to this cause, which led to the establishment of the Swayamdeep project.” She also praised the MKSSS’s transparent selection process and expressed her desire to remain connected with the Karve family forever.
Speaking as Chief Guest, Dr. Avinash Wachasundar warmly praised Smt. Nikam, saying, “Examples like Meenakshi Tai inspire all of us with the energy to do something for our fellow human beings.” He read an excerpt from Baya Karve’s autobiography Majhe Puran, which highlights the plight of widows in that era. Recalling his visit to a settlement of people cured of leprosy in the Kondhwa area during the national convention of Saksham held in Pune, he described the pain of seeing that even basic health facilities are unavailable to such communities, who remain neglected by society. He also spoke of the distressing issues in the field of hearing impairment, in which he is involved. The real-life challenges in this sector, he said, are far greater than what social work alone currently addresses, adding that empathy and active involvement are the only answers.
At the ceremony, senior Pune-based builder and social worker Shri. Nandkishorji Rathi offered a financial contribution of ₹1,00,000 to the mission of Smt. Nikam’s work.
In her presidential address, Smt. Smita Ghaisas, Chairperson of the Maharshi Karve Stree Shikshan Samstha, said that the true purpose of presenting the Baya Karve Award is to spread positive, inspiring work. She also shared her motivating experience of visiting Meenakshi Tai’s Swayamdeep project and urged everyone present to always remain ready to support such work.
The program was jointly compered by Smt. Arpita Singh, faculty member at MKSSS’s College of Management, and Ms. Anushka Singh, a student of the same college. The event concluded with a formal vote of thanks delivered by Smt. Mallika Samant, faculty member at the School of Fashion Technology. The ceremony ended with a soulful rendition of Vande Mataram by Ms. Abhira Kale, a student of Cummins College of Engineering.
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