Noted social activist and Magsaysay award winner Murlidhar Devidas Amte alias Baba Amte died at his Anandvan ashram in Chandrapur district of Maharashtra on Saturday, February 09,2008. He was 94.

I was saddened to hear about his demise. He leaves behind the wonderful legacy of selfless service of the downtrodden and weaker section of the society, particularly leprosy patients. His 2 sons are ably carrying on the legacy. Dr Vikas Amte looks after the operations in Ananadvan and younger son- Dr Prakash Amte- who is better known as the ‘jungle doctor’ is serving the tribal s in remote areas in Vidarbha (central parts of India). Theirs is the long established tradition of selfless service!

I personally drew great inspiration from Baba Amte. I remember having visited Anandvan and personally saw the wonderful community work which had been raised over the decades in Anandvan (Ananadvan is a Sanskrit/ Hindi name and literally means ‘forest of joy’). It has brought succor and relief to thousands of leprosy patients.