Baba Amte-The Founder Of Anandvan Information

 

Muralidhar Devidas Amte-Baba Amte

Introduction

Baba's original name was Muralidhar Devidas Amte. He was born on 26th December 1914 at Hinghanghat in Wardha, Maharashtra District. Devidas Amte, his father, worked for the colonial Government's district administration and revenue collection departments. Baba was from a wealthy family in the area. Traditionally, wealth was managed. Baba's childhood, fortunately, was similarly rich. Baba acquired his own gun when he was fourteen, and he used to go to the forest to hunt deer.

Muralidhar Devidas Amte- Baba Amte

 Early Life

                   He founded the Anandvan Ashram in Chandrapur, Maharashtra, to care for lepers. He was an outspoken advocate for people with leprosy and other underprivileged groups in society. Baba Amte has been called the modern India's "Saint." 

In Nagpur, he finished his college education. and this was in 1934 B.A. In 1936, L.L.B. he received these degrees. He intended to be a doctor, but his father persuaded him to become a lawyer instead. He then went on to practice law for a while. On Jawaharlal Nehru's recommendation, he finished a course on leprosy diagnosis and treatment, which can only be done by a Doctor. Amte lived a spartan lifestyle, following Gandhi's example. He was dressed in khadi from Anandwan's mills. He was a firm believer in Gandhi's ideal of a self-sufficient village industry that empowered allegedly powerless people, and he put his ideas into action in Anandwan. He was a key figure in the movement for India's independence by nonviolent methods. Amte also applied Gandhi's teachings to the government's fight against corruption, mismanagement, and bad, shortsighted planning. 

During his college days, Baba Amte travelled all over India. he was Impressed by Rabindranath Tagore's music and poetry, Baba also visited his 'Shantiniketan'. Tagore had a lot of influence on Baba. Equally influential was Mahatma Gandhi, who had an ashram at Sevagram near Wardha. Baba was also fascinated by the ideas of  Marx and Mao. But he did not like the revolutions in both Russia and China to implement his ideas. Sane Guruji also had a great influence on Baba.

                   Growing up in such an environment, Baba started practicing law in Warora, At the same time he used to visit his farm on weekends. How much is agriculture? A staggering four and a half acres! The farm was at Goraja near Waro. He then started organizing the farmers while farming. He started inculcating the basic mantra of co-operation among the farmers. As a result, Baba was elected vice-president of Warora. On the one hand, while such a public life is going on, Baba also starts going to clubs, going hunting, playing tennis and bridge.The money was getting huge. But in spite of all this, Baba was not so happy from within. They felt that life had a purpose.

   Contribution of  Baba Amte as social Activism

At the same time the practice of  law is also an equation of falsity. Baba did not approve of making money by lying. So he started working for the Harijans. Harijans had to fetch water from far away. Baba opened a public well for the upper castes despite their opposition. Then the Quit India Movement of 1942 started and Baba joined it. He organized lawyers and started agitation to release the arrested leaders.  He even went to jail for that.

                  Later the excitement in the lawyers waned and they began to feel depressed. It was during this time that he grew his hair. Looked like a disgusted monk. Once while going to Nagpur for a wedding, he saw Indu (Sadhanatai) and fell in love with her. But looking at his sadhu-like incarnation, Sadhanatai family rebuked him. But what is special is that Sadhanatai also liked Baba. Then they decided to get married in the face of domestic opposition.

                   Even after marriage, Baba could not find a purpose in life. One day they saw a man with leprosy. He looked like he was soaking wet in the rain, and he was terrified. But that was the turning point in his life. They returned and served the man. But he did not live. For the next six months, Baba finally decided to work for the lepers, and his wife, Sadhana, helped him. After that he built Anandvan.

There they accommodated lepers. The vow to serve them began. For this, he also learned the treatment of leprosy. There were no facilities in Anandvan. He made this desolate area a paradise. He started farming there to make Anandvan self-sufficient. Anandvan became an example of  leprosy for people all over the world.

                  Later, even after Baba raised it so much, he did not sit quietly. In the eighties, when the whole of India was plagued by terrorist activities and threats of annihilation, Baba embarked on a journey called Bharat Jodo from Kanyakumari to Kashmir and Gujarat to Arunachal Pradesh to connect India. The main objective of this Yatra was to create peace and create awareness about the environment. Baba left Anandvan in 1990 and came to live on the banks of Narmada. He took this decision to strengthen the Narmada movement.

 Baba received many honors. He received many awards like Padma Shri, Padma Vibhushan, Gandhi Peace Prize, Ramon Magsaysay Award and many more

Baba Amte was died on 9thfeb 2008 in Maharashtra .