'Children taker' to Care taker

'Children taker' to Care taker:
As he was responsible for the children he took with him, he used to take proper care of the children. The children were very small and they even could not do their self cleaning. The children could not bath themselves. They were not used to use water after toilet. Janardan Maharaj himself washed their toilets. He bathed them properly and also washed their clothes on daily basis. He taught them the lessons of cleanness. His greatness lies in the action. He never scolded the children before anyone or publicly. He knew the nature of the adivasi students. They can bear the hardest punishment but they would never bear an insult. One insulting word can spoil their whole life. He was also the superintendent of the school so he had his keen eye on the food pupils got in the school.
Janardan Maharaj did not pay as much attention towards his own children as he done for the children of the people. At times he was very strict. He filed cases against some parents who were not sending their children to the school after registration. He deliberately managed the clerk in the court that the parents were called to the court during the rainy season. That helped him much for his better administration. Janardan Maharaj needed some help from other people. He was teacher and superintendent in the school. This was the first Ashram School in Dhule District aided by Central Government. Before that only two of them were in Gujrat. Shri Chhotubhai Vasava from Dang District ran one Ashram School in that area for Adivasi children. He could not get the cook for the Ashram. His mother helped him in that noble cause. She herself cooked the food for the children. Afterwards Janardan Maharaj helped the Pashchim Khandesh Bhill Seva Mandal in setting up the next Ashram School at Surwani Tal. Akrani in 1958-59. He became the vice president of the institution and still he is vice president.

First Night in Molgi

First Night in Molgi:
When they were about to start the ashram school, they tried to set up the building for the ashram school. When Shri Jaywantrao Natawadkar and his party worker went Molgi at first time in search of land for the school, they saw that there were only few huts of people. Nobody was in a position to be the host of these guests. Both of them spent their night under a big banyan tree. When Shri Jaywantrao Natawadkar, the Member of the Parliament of India was fast asleep, the man with him saw a big poisonous snake perhaps Indian Cobra was crawling towards them. He shook Shri Jaywantrao to wake him up. Both of them watched the dreadful snake from some feet. The snake stopped near the banyan tree and slowly disappeared in the roots of the big tree. Both of them sat alert whole night under the banyan tree. Then they send message to Janardan Maharaj and called there. Janardan Maharaj came there by the evening and they got the shelter at the karbhari of Molgi. Natawadkar told Janardan Maharaj about the incident of the snake and the night under the banyan tree. Janardan Maharaj and Natawadkar took the incident as good omen for the school.
So eventually in 1955 Pashchim Khandesh Bhill Seva Mandal started an Ashram School at Molgi. Working for the Ashram School was the satisfying work for Janardan Maharaj. He observed that people should know the importance of education. So according to the saying, 'Charity begins at home', he went to his relatives and discussed the benefits of education. He convinced them that how education could change the life of their children. There is some spell or the power in his speech that people start agreeing with him. His relatives started sending their children with him. Every morning Janardan Maharaj went out alone but he would return with a block of some children with him. People on the way were astonished by the scene. They wondered that where could he take the children of people. They had not heard about education and school. People started calling him 'children taker'. Men and women of the area feared Janardan Maharaj that he would take away their children too. Some of them even tried to hide the children whenever they saw Janardan Maharaj coming towards their home. But Janardan Maharaj was firm on his decision. Gradually one or another started inquiring about the children. Janardan also convinced them about the importance of education. People started sending their children and now there was no need to wander in search of students. But he never stopped his quest for the students.

Setting up the Molgi Ashram School

Setting up the Molgi Ashram School:
Janardan Maharaj was the member of Executive Committee of Pashchim Khandesh Bhill Seva Mandal and Shri Jaywantrao Natawadkar was the President of the institution. Maharaj worked for the all round development of the adivasi community from the institute. His entry in the social service, politics and finally in education field had the great impact of Pashchim Khandesh Bhill Seva Mandal. Maharaj operated the Grain Bank Scheme and supplied medicines to the needy and poor people in Satpuda.
Shri Jaywantrao Natawadkar was the Member of Parliament. He and Janardan Maharaj filed a charge sheet against the chieftains of Kathi Sansthan i.e. the state. So there was an inquiry at Jamana, a small village in the Satpuda Ranges. There they gathered in the small hut of Shri Vesta Itanya Padvi, he was the Deshmukh of twelve villages. There he was running a voluntary school. Both, Jaywantrao Natawadkar and Janardan Maharaj praised him for his great work of education in the remote, inaccessible hilly area. There was a welfare officer for the enquiry, Shri Davar who praised the way Shri Vesta Itanya Padvi was working in that place.
He suggested to Shri Jaywantrao Natawadkar, "If a person in the remote area can work for the society single handed, then you have the institution of your own. Why don't you start an Ashram School in this area?"
Jaywantrao said, "I don't have the workers to help me in this area. And it is far from Nandurbar so it is not possible to work here."
Janardan Maharaj replied at once, "Why do you say that? I am here to work for you. I am ready to resign the Membership of Legislative Assembly for this noble cause".He could say that because he knew that only education can make the change in the lives of his community. Now this was the mission of his life to work for the education of the deprived and suppressed masses.