Our Founder

Shri Shantilal Muttha

Shantilal Muttha, the founder of Bharatiya Jain Sanghatana, is a distinguished social entrepreneur and strategic philanthropist. Born on 15th August 1953 in Dongerkini, a small village in the Beed district of Maharashtra, he witnessed and experienced the problems and challenges faced by people in the villages that conditioned his mind and motivated him towards the service of people.

Rising from humble origins, he established a flourishing enterprise to become self-sufficient and pursue his dream of contributing to social welfare. In 1985, at the age of 31, he gave up his flourishing business to fully dedicate his life to social service.

In early days of his work, Shantilal Muttha, fondly known as ‘Bhau’, identified eroding values and collapsing family structure as a deeply disturbing concern. His conviction that strong families are the very foundation of a nation’s progress resulted in the development of several initiatives that addressed social issues like dowry, divorce, and female foeticide. In 1989, he led a remarkable social movement through 3000 kilometers padyatra across the state of Maharashtra to awaken people and advocate mass marriages as a solution against dowry and exorbitant marriage expenses prevalent in the society. In wake of the communal riots in 1992, he initiated a Shantiyatra (peace march) to deliver the message of non-violence and communal harmony. The yatra brought together religious leaders of all faiths along with other prominent leaders, social workers, and bureaucrats.

With his charismatic persona and passion for social change, he successfully motivated and created a cadre of dedicated volunteers who became the backbone of several successful interventions in years to come.

During the relief operations of the 1993 Latur earthquake, Shantilal ji witnessed the immense loss of life and hope, and his experiences while serving the disaster-affected people gave a new direction to his efforts. He was moved by the plight of children and no one to tend to their physical, emotional, and mental well-being. Taking a leap of faith and firm belief in his intent he decided to take complete responsibility for the educational rehabilitation of 1200 children. He established Bharatiya Jain Sanghatana, a not-for-profit organization in 1993 to provide a structured and focused approach to his vision and efforts. Wagholi Educational rehabilitation Centre was developed as an arm of BJS to ensure the well-being and holistic development of these children.

Since then Shantilal Muttha has guided and mentored BJS into making impactful contributions toward the domains of disaster response, water resource development, quality education, and community development.

Surmounting tremendous challenges with high optimism, Shantilal Muttha’s journey of four decades of commitment and selfless contribution towards social good has established him as a change agent par excellence. His efforts and contributions have been recognized at national and international levels.