Nagpur: With parenting advice increasingly driven by social media, artificial intelligence and online influencers, a new social movement aims to restore families as the primary source of values by placing mothers at the centre of child-rearing while promoting equal participation by fathers.Social thinker and researcher Sarika Panhalkar-Mahotra has launched Sanskar Aai Abhiyan, or Mother – A Global Movement for Humanity, a people-led initiative to strengthen family bonds and nurture emotionally resilient, socially responsible children. The campaign was launched at Jhulelal Institute of Technology, Lonara, near Koradi Road, last week on chief minister Devendra Fadnavis’ birthday.Panhalkar-Mahotra told TOI the initiative is a social movement, not an organisation, focused on rebuilding family communication and reinforcing values.“It seeks to help youngsters see motherhood not merely as a relationship but as a value system built on care, guidance and unconditional support,” she said.The campaign promotes seven core values — honesty, empathy, discipline, gratitude, courage, respect and responsibility — which it says families should consciously instil in children.After completing its first phase in villages, the movement has begun outreach in colleges across Maharashtra, starting with Nagpur before expanding to Pune, Nashik and other regions. It is also engaging with child care institutions to ensure children without parental support receive emotional security and value-based guidance.“We want children to understand motherhood as a philosophy, not merely a biological identity. It represents unconditional support, values, learning and emotional security,” she said.The movement plans workshops, parenting dialogues and life-skills programmes through volunteers, educational institutions and community organisations. It also proposes support groups for mothers, counselling services and a dedicated helpline, while partnering with educational institutions, volunteers and CSR initiatives.Its long-term roadmap includes a Sanskar Aai Research Centre, a Family Wellness Index, a statewide counselling network, a helpline for mothers, a national parenting conference and a digital repository on family welfare and value-based education.“We also plan to create a global platform connecting individuals and institutions working for family welfare and value-based education,” Panhalkar-Mahotra said.
