The leader series - Baba Amte (Social worker and social justice crusader)
Posted by BIJU under General
“Happiness dies when not shared” — Baba Amte
Baba Amte rightly deserves a position in this leader series at SCG. Unfortunately he is no more to guide Indians in their fight against social inequality. Baba Amte is known as the last Gandhian. A Gandhian is one who religiously follows Mahatma Gandhi’s principles of resorting to ahimsa (non-violence) to fight social injustice.
The news of his death today came as a shock to the whole nation. He was 94 and died in his ashram in Chandrapur district of Maharashtra, one of the most economically backward districts in the state.
From the wikipedia
………….. One of India’s most revered social and moral leaders, Baba Amte has devoted his life to the care and rehabilitation of leprosy patients, even allowing his body to be used for experiments to grow leprosy germs. His community development project at Anandwan (Forest of Bliss) near Nagpur in Maharashtra, India, is recognised and respected around the world and has done much to dispel prejudice against leprosy victims………………..
Whether it is the issue of Narmada dam rehabilitation or the rehabiltation of leprosy patients, baba and his followers fought the cause without fear for their lives. Their movement is selfless, you will never find Baba Amte advertising for donations, his work itself inspires people to contribute. Most of his ashrams were self sufficient and sometimes profitable too. He rebuked the government for having done very little for people and proved that India’s villages and tribes can be self sufficient without allocation of welfare funds, but simply by helping them learn a life supporting skill.
Today Anandwan (baba’s ashram) has a blind school and also an orchestra run by blind people. Baba’s ashram runs on biogas and people living in and around have been taugh the importance of conserving environment.
Read more about Anandwan at http://chanda.nic.in/htmldocs/anandwan.htm