Prof. Meenakshi Apte, fondly known as Meenakshitai, is not just the founder of Swadhar, she is the cornerstone of its strength, inspiration, motivation and passion. She was a born social worker and had a deep understanding of societal needs and their underlying problems, and relentlessly strived to find ways to deal with them. Meenakshitai was a very successful professional, she was a loving and friendly individual, a very considerate teacher and above all a mother figure for all at Swadhar – staff and beneficiaries, alike.After her post-graduation from the University of Pune, Meenakshitai joined the Central Social Welfare Board, Satara in the year 1954. On being promoted, she was transferred to its Mumbai office, and in 1965 she enrolled in the Tata Institute of Social Sciences for a Masters study in their Social Work program. In 1967, after being awarded with the degree, she joined TISS as a Faculty Assistant. Here she supervised field work for two years, went on to become Lecturer, Reader and finally Professor in the Department of Family and Child Welfare. She retired as the Head of this Department in the year 1994.

Meenakshitai’s key contribution during her tenure lies in strengthening the field work component of social work, which is one of the defining features of the curriculum in the institute. The lack of field work agencies or organisations, especially in the areas of child sexual abuse and marital discord, led her to initiate field action projects in TISS. She helped customise the course material, taught students from across India, guided them and even helped solving their problems. She was sent to Tavistock Institute in London where she learned about labourers and their families, and the hindrances children in these families face while pursuing their education. One of Meenakshitai’s most celebrated achievements is her work in initiating family and marital counselling in the Mumbai City Civil Court. It was TISS’s report of a study led and conducted by her, on the success of counselling, guidance and other therapeutic initiatives that paved way for its inclusion in the Family Courts Act in 1984. Her initiative of working closely with the Mumbai Police Commissioner’s office, to fight violence against women has been replicated in several talukas and districts across Maharashtra, as well as many other states.

In alliance with her colleagues, she also conducted several courses for officers of UNICEF and ILO in India and overseas. Meenakshitai was instrumental in reframing the curriculum of social work with more emphasis on the component of field work. She was also on the board of international organisations like Children of the World and several renowned national organisations like Gandhi National Memorial, Agakhan Palace Pune, Kasturba Gandhi National Memorial Trust and Saathi – an organisation working with women prisoners of Yeravada Jail in Pune. She was a Fulbright Scholar, recipient of the Baya Karve award for ‘Outstanding Contribution as Social Work Educator’ and the Stree Vimochan Trust Award for ‘A Lifetime of Social Work’. She was also conferred with the title of ‘Distinguished Professor of Family and Child Welfare’ by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, for her pioneering contributions in the year 2012.