Gangubai Nivrutti Bhambure is India's oldest sarpanch at 93

When you meet Gangubai Nivrutti Bhambure, the only thing striking about her appears to be her admirable agility and zest for life at the ripe age of 93. But this great-grandmother, who likes helping people and still believes in keeping herself busy with household chores, shoulders a big responsibility on her frail shoulders. The nonagenarian was elected the sarpanch of her village, Bhamburwadi in the Khed tehsil of Pune, earlier this month. This makes her the oldest person in the country at that position.

This is also the first time that a grandmother and grandson are part of the same panchayat. Bhambure grandson, Bharat, is a member of the panchayat samite.

Bhambure starts her day by cleaning the front yard of her house every morning and is a regular warkari (pilgrim). Her house, a two-storey structure, is simple. But it is also the only one with a boundary wall in the village with a population of about 2,000.

She walks into the hall for this meeting with a smile on her face. That ready smile is one of her endearing traits. Both her mannerisms and her attire belie her age. She is dressed in a vibrant green, nine-yard cotton sari with matching glass bangles. Gold earrings and gold chains complete the cheerful picture.

As she takes a seat, her grandchildren and great-grandchildren quickly seat themselves around her.

Ask her why she agreed to contest the elections and she says: "Sagle gavache loka ne tharawle ani mhanale ajji tumhi ubhe rahan ani gharche pan mhanale (Everyone in the village decided that I should stand for elections and my family too wanted me to do so)." The villagers say they have known her for years and have seen the way she goes all out to help people. If anyone was hungry, she would cook and feed them. When the warkaris came to the village, she would cook for them.

The respect she commands was, however, only one of the reasons that the villagers approached her to contest. The other was the fact that the sarpanch's post in the village was reserved for women. Of all the women in the village, Bhambure was the one everybody chose. "The villagers respect her a lot. Since she was elected, the panchayat members have not missed a single meeting," says her grandson. "Everyone seems to have forgotten their differences."

Bharat hopes that the attention the village has attracted because of a 93-year-old being elected sarpanch will also bring to focus the problems that Bhamburwadi faces. Bhambure says she wants to focus on local issues. "Water is a problem, there is no proper drainage system and the roads are narrow," she says.

Bhambure has four sons and a daughter, 10 grandchildren and several great-grandchildren. She knows what it takes to run such a big family. But running the affairs of a village is a different ballgame. "Her brother was the sarpanch of his village. She may not have any experience as sarpanch, but she knows what being a sarpanch entails," says another of her grandsons.

Suresh Gore, the Shiv Sena MLA from Khed is all praise for "Ajji", as Bhambure is fondly called. "She is old but her enthusiasm to work is admirable."