Vinayak Ganpat Deokar was abandoned on the steps of Navrange Anathalay (Pandharpur, Maharashtra) by his biological parents at the age of 3 months. He was adopted by an elderly couple who worked at a quarry and dug out stone to earn a living. When he was 16, Vinayak lost his adoptive father to old age, and adoptive mother to Mouth Cancer at the age of 25. Flunking 10th class board examinations and getting married soon after, changed the course of his life and compelled him to wait tables at a small restaurant and sell lottery tickets to fend for his family. A father of three, Vinayak was diagnosed with a cardiac disease in 2001. Blown and devastated on learning about his condition, it certainly felt like the end of the world to him. A few days later he came across a woman looking for monetary support for her 4- year old boy who was suffering from the same disease as himself but the family was financially distressed and couldn’t afford a treatment. This incident proved to be a turning point in Vinayak’s life because at this point he decided to rise above his plight and help others in need.

With the help and support of people who had his best interests at heart, Vinayak went on to establish “Jeevan Mitra Pratishthan Charitable Trust’ to financially support Cardiac, Renal and Cancer patients. It was inaugurated on the 18th of January,2002 at the hands of Padma Bhushan Late Mr.Balasaheb Bharde in presence of Dr.K.B.Grant (Founder, Ruby Hall).

The organisation also stepped foot in helping financially distressed families to support the education of their children. Mahatma Gandhi School was founded by Vinayak Deokar and was inaugurated by Eminent Social Worker and multiple honorary awards recipient Dr.Vikas Amte on the 14th of June,2014.