Legendary Hansa Balkrishna Mehta: Guardian of Compassion & Hope at 96, A Beacon for Humanity

Blog

Awards & age are just a number, limitless and still aspiring as she reaches close to a century at 96 years this year. She is Hansa Balkrishna Mehta, social influencer par excellence, a visionary determined to change the complexion of many visually impaired & physically challenged sections of society. Having dedicated more than 62 years of her life to social service, she continues to inspire millions even today.

Her life is itself a story of dedication, overcoming challenges, a never-to-fail attitude, a pertinacious desire to transform, and strong intent to make a change in society. Her life is a living example of pristine charity, selfless service for the needy souls, a prayer in despair for the ones in need.

The Mother for thousands, whose ornate love has made hopeless lives blossom with full of fragrance. Her work speaks volumes about the influence she has created on the lives of many. “Sahayog Foundation Award” in 1993 was the beginning of many accolades that started coming in her illustrious journey.

Every year has been a year of felicitations, jubilations, and celebrations for the good work and contributions made by her, be it the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR BLIND, presenting her with the award, the most sought after The Indira Gandhi Priyadarshini Award in 1996. The list is just endless.

Adding to her long list of recognition, she was recently awarded the DADA SAHEB PHALKE INTERNATIONAL MOTIVATIONAL AWARD 2024-25, as the “Extraordinary Social Activist of the Year”. She has indeed been a harbinger of social transformation, a mother to thousands, a teacher to those seeking hope & path of respectful living despite challenges.

Born with a silver spoon in her mouth to rich & well-to-do parents, she inherited values imparted by her parents to show kindness towards all. After her marriage to Shri Balbhai Mehta, she had to undergo the trauma of 4 miscarriages, which affected her body and soul. She very courageously accepted the God’s silent message that she was born to be the Mother for not a few children, but a loving and doting mother to thousands of needy ones. Her Uncle Shri Pranlal Sheth, also encouraged her to dedicate her life to social service and be a God’s messenger of love & care for the needy. And she did become one, an exceptional mother whose love & care transcends all boundaries of caste, creed, or color.

She very candidly shares the influence her grandmother Vijliba had upon her, during her formative years, which stood with her in good stead later in her social life. The exuberance and the energy she oozes even at this age are unmatched and very infectious. One cannot escape the optimism and keen sense of contributing to the worthy cause in her presence.

Hansaben, as she is lovingly called by many, has made a tremendous contribution towards the education of physically and visually impaired sections of society. The amount of work she has executed with her brilliance in philanthropy for the blind & physically challenged people is truly amazing & praiseworthy, but difficult to emulate for any person. Her work spans across many states in India including Maharashtra & Gujarat.

Her one experience inside a Blind school changed her perception about life and its struggles. When she observed that the walls of the blind school were all dull, colorless, walls that bore the vagaries of time and neglect, even though, blind couldn’t see them. She got the walls rebuilt, painted with white color, which changed the ambiance and the lives of those blind children once for all. Such sensitivity is hard to find in the current materialistic world. As time passed, Hansaben got neck-deep into social service, never to look back again.

Hansaben Mehta is also an avid sports lover. She has also supported the cause of visually impaired in sporting and strongly believes in ensuring that blind as well as physically challenged people should also be given equal opportunity to further their careers in the sporting arena.

She has also recently been awarded with Asia’s Top 100 Influential Women Award 2024 for being the harbinger of social transformation. Her message to the younger generation is to give back to the society, especially the challenged sections of the society. Only then, shall this world be a peaceful & respectful place for all.

10 Comments

  1. Shefali shah

    I am not biologically related but happen to be very close to her bad share the same workaholism habit
    And her love for empowerment to the needy not to mention women
    Such a human come only once in a century

    Reply
  2. Jyoti Harish Soonderji

    Superb article which is the truth!! Not exaggerated at all! I have known her since 1967 and found her genuinely working for worthy causes!! I don’t have much to say since your article says it all! Ma Tujhe Salaam!!🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🕉

    Reply
  3. Sejal Shah

    Heartiest congratulations to Hansa Ben mehta
    She is true inspiration to women

    All are good wishes and blessings to her .

    Reply
  4. Dr. Harsha Merchant

    Very true. She is living legend and inspiration for all of us to take up such activities and consistent in such activities for the cause without any kind of expectations…. Hats off to you Dear Hansaben B. Mehta. Hearty Congratulations…..

    Reply
  5. RIMA PANDYA

    Hansaben Mehta is a wonderful person.She is very kind and helpful apart from this she is very active person.Her website is also very attractive and it provides complete information about her.

    Reply
  6. Suresh Mehta

    Excellent and truly worthy of all the awards

    Reply
  7. Jyotsna Darpelli

    Hi

    Great work and result of hard work is out She is an outstanding person into the service of humanity she has done.

    She is great person and doing all the work result is there for everyone to see as she received various awards nationally and internationally also.

    I pray to God for her better health and to give her strength to work more for the service of humanity.

    All the best to her.

    Reply
  8. Lion Dr Saroj sanghavi

    Hansaben is great inspiration to many of us, her dedicated, work is always well appreciated, be it special children visually impaired.
    Education, sports, it is always her passion, Wishing her hood health & happiness. God bless her.

    Reply
  9. Shimpa Sharma

    Fortunate are those of us who have met Hansaben and learnt from her. The humility she portrays in spite of all her achievements is the biggest learning of all. May God fulfil her desires.

    Reply
  10. Felix Meyer

    My site Webemail24 covers a lot of topics about Footwears and I thought we could greatly benefit from each other. Awesome posts by the way!

    Reply

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Registration Open For Top 100 Outstanding Women Award 2024 (Season-2)

Registration is now officially open for the much-anticipated Top 100 Outstanding Women Awards 2024 (Season-2) brought to you by Diva Planet Magazine!  It’s time to spotlight the extraordinary women who are making a profound impact in their respective fields. Whether they’re trailblazing entrepreneurs, tech innovators, groundbreaking artists, academic pioneers, or dedicated activists, we want to hear their stories and celebrate their achievements.

Join us in recognizing and empowering outstanding women, as we come together to inspire and uplift each other. Together, let’s celebrate diversity, leadership, and the unstoppable spirit of women shaping the future!