Baba Amte Passes Away

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.

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