HIGHLIGHTS:
• Shanta Balu Pawar, known as Pune’s “Warrior Aaji,” is an 86-year-old street entertainer.
• This ‘warrior aaji’ performs in the Gosavi Vasti neighbourhood, and her incredible talent helps feed her 20-person family.
• She has also established a martial arts and self-defense academy for other children in the region.
What is in the News?
Shanta Balu Pawar, known as Pune’s “Warrior Aaji,” is an 86-year-old street entertainer, martial arts trainer, and the primary earner for her 20-member family.
Who is Shanta Balu Pawar?
Shanta Balu Pawar is a well-known figure on the streets of Pune. She’s been practicing lathi-kathi and tightrope walking since she was eight years old. Her enthusiasm and dexterity haven’t waned even at the age of 86.
She feed 20-person family
This ‘warrior aaji’ performs in the Gosavi Vasti neighbourhood, and her incredible talent helps feed her 20-person family.
Shanta is not just a street performer. She has also established a martial arts and self-defense academy for other children in the region. After her performance video went popular on social media, this school was founded in 2020. Shanta established the school with the help of netizens, including celebrities like Sonu Sood and Riteish Deshmukh.
Shanta and her challenges
The spread of the coronavirus, however, has put a stop to her work, forcing her to return to the streets to make a livelihood. During the lockdown, her son also lost his job, leaving the octogenarian as the family’s sole earner.
Shanta, on the other hand, finds conquering challenges to be a sort of energy booster. Her beautiful and powerful movements have never failed to astonish. “I can’t just stay at home and do nothing.” “Until these kids get their aaji, they won’t have to worry about going hungry,” the furious woman argues. She was featured in the 1972 film Seeta Aur Geeta, which starred Hema Malini and Dharmendra!
