It was the festival of Diwali. The entire town was bustling with the glow of electric lights and the sound of firecrackers. A young boy held a few coins in his hand, given lovingly by his mother. He was running toward a shop, excited to buy sweets and colorful crackers. Suddenly, a pathetic cry pierced through the festive noise: “Please give a penny to this blind man, O Lord… God will bless you!”
In that voice, there was hunger, and more than that, an endless sense of helplessness. The boy stopped. He looked at the coins in his hand—his own desires on one side, and someone’s hunger on the other. Without a second thought, he dropped all his coins into the beggar’s aluminum bowl.
However, hearing the ‘clink’ of the coins, the beggar did not rejoice. Instead, his face trembled with fear, and he pleaded with tears, “Son, please do not mock me because I am blind. Do not torment me by putting stones in my bowl!”
Those words wrenched the boy’s heart. He immediately held the beggar’s hands and said poignantly, “Grandpa!
These are not stones, they are real coins! Trust me… feel them if you wish.” The beggar touched the coins with trembling hands. Realizing they were indeed money, tears of joy rolled down his cheeks.
Seeing this, the boy’s eyes welled up. More than the man’s hunger on a festival day, it was the deep-seated distrust and the fear of society that shook the child. Running home in tears, he made a silent vow in his young mind: “When I grow up, I will dedicate my life to people like this.”
That young heart eventually grew into a mighty tree, becoming a savior for leprosy patients. That boy was Baba Amte. The story of this great man, who poured his entire life into serving those shunned by society, is a profound lesson for today’s generation.
A Compassionate War Against Leprosy: The Humanitarian Baba Amte
His original name was Muralidhar Devidas Amte, but the world affectionately called him ‘Baba’. Born on December 26, 1914, into a wealthy Zamindari family in Maharashtra, he enjoyed immense riches in his childhood. However, a life of luxury did not satisfy his soul. His journey from eating on silver plates to sacrificing his life for the marginalized is nothing short of a miracle. He broke down the walls built to keep the poverty and tears of the outside world away from his doorstep.
He took a vow to wipe the tears of leprosy patients—those whom society branded as ‘sinners’ and ‘untouchables’. In an era where even parents abandoned their children in forests out of fear that leprosy was a fatal contagious disease, Baba Amte took a daring step to dispel this darkness of ignorance. To prove that leprosy was not highly contagious, he had bacteria from a patient injected into his own body. This sacrifice, made at the risk of his own life, instilled courage in millions.
Living among the victims, he washed their wounds and gave them not just medical care, but the dignity of being ‘human’. He wiped the sorrow from their eyes, trained their hands in handicrafts, and provided them with honorable livelihoods through the goods they produced. His effort in transforming people who were treated like ‘living corpses’ into workers who created wealth for the nation remains unforgettable.
*Establishment of Three Ashrams:
Baba Amte established three ashrams for the care and rehabilitation of leprosy patients, the disabled, and the destitute in Maharashtra. On August 15, 1949, he and his wife, Sadhana Amte, started a leprosy hospital under a tree in Anandwan. This institution played a key role in making thousands of marginalized people—including those with physical, visual, and hearing impairments, and tribal communities—self-reliant. Later, in 1973, he established ‘Lok Biradari Prakalp’ for the ‘Madia Gond’ tribes in Gadchiroli district.
*The Gandhi of Modern India
Baba Amte believed in and fully practiced Gandhian principles. After meeting Gandhi, he spent time at Sevagram Ashram, becoming a disciple and internalizing his ideologies. Trained in law, he actively participated in the Indian Independence Movement. During the 1942 Quit India Movement, he served as a defense lawyer for Indian leaders imprisoned by the colonial government.
It was during this time that Gandhiji bestowed the title ‘Abhay Sadhak’ (the Fearless Seeker) upon him, recognizing his courageous work for leprosy patients. Gandhiji’s influence on Baba Amte’s lifestyle was profound. Apart from dedicating his life to the oppressed, he led a simple life wearing only Khadi. He lived a disciplined life in the ashrams on a vegetarian diet and envisioned self-sufficient villages. He followed the Gandhian path to challenge government corruption and short-sighted planning, earning him the title “The Gandhi of Modern India.”
*Struggles and Aspirations:
Baba Amte was involved in numerous social service activities. In 1985, he launched the ‘Knit India’ mission. At the age of 72, he walked over 3,000 miles from Kanyakumari to Kashmir to foster unity among Indians. Three years later, he traveled over 1,800 miles from Assam to Gujarat. Following Gandhi’s path, he actively participated in the Narmada Bachao Andolan along with Medha Patkar, fighting non-violently for the rights of those displaced by the Narmada dam and for environmental protection. Baba’s sons, Vikas and Prakash, followed in their father’s footsteps. In recognition of the services rendered by Prakash Amte and his wife Mandakini Amte, they were jointly awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2008.
*Awards and Honors:
Though born into wealth, his dedication to the downtrodden was unparalleled. Recognizing his service, the government honored him with the Padma Shri in 1971 and the Padma Vibhushan in 1986. He also received the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1985 and the Gandhi Peace Prize in 1999. Notably, he used the prize money from his awards for social service.
Baba Amte passed away on February 9, 2008, at his ashram, ‘Anandwan’. We must carry forward the ideals of this man who was a synonym for selfless service.
