Baba Amte

Last week two individuals from Maharashtra shared real estate on the pages of national media, one more than the other. One is a loathsome politician who in all probability will not be able to make any genuine claims to fame, the other was an iconic social activist whose exemplary life will continue to provide inspiration for generations to follow. I won't give Raj Thackeray any space on this blog, as I am the landlord here (and more importantly someone who preys on the frustrations of the underprivileged to further his own personal ambitions, is just unworthy of my time to be written about). Muralidhar Devidas Amte, on the other hand, is my guest. It is an honour to write about him, and I will spend my time and energy writing an obituary for the man.

Popularly known as Baba Amte, he was born in 1914 in the macrocosm of British-ruled-India and the microcosm of a wealthy Brahmin community. Synonymous with the story of Buddha, Baba Amte grew up in an environment of luxury and was therefore not exposed to the miseries of the greater world that existed outside. However there are mentions of his frustration as a child at not being able to comprehend as to why his parents would not allow him to eat and play with the children of the servants at home. He grew up to become a lawyer and a man with rich tastes like hunting, foreign cinema and fancy cars. But the wealth and luxury could not stifle the undying spirit of humanity in him, he remained affected by the conditions of the poor and the backward classes. His initial attempts at improving their lot involved just helping the ones who worked for him in his family's farms. His family did not appreciate his actions. But that initial attempt kindled a greater fire within him and thereby gave his life a much larger purpose. In a short span of time he proceeded to abandon his life of luxury and along with a life partner who echoed the same spirit in her heart as well set out trying to realise that greater purpose. His questioning of the despicable treatment of lower classes resulted in his becoming an outcast of the Brahmin community. But the outcast then began a great journey in his life, wherein he became a messiah of hope for the oppressed, the Harijans, indigenous tribes, lepers....He is best known for his work for the lepers, who in those times were social outcasts and even after being cured could not return to a normal life within society. Anandwan is his legacy, where lepers were not treated for the disease alone, but also for it's psychological manifestations like the loss of self-respect as well. In the second phase of his life he lent his voice to plight of those displaced by the construction of large dams, most notably the Sardar Sarovar dam along the river Narmada. On Feb 9, Baba Amte breathed his last.

Baba Amte's story is one of sacrifice, of nobility and of selflessness . He sacrificed a much envied life of wealth and luxury for a much harder life of physical hardship and constant struggle. Even age and ill-health could not stop him, he continued tirelessly on the path that he had chosen. In an age where there seems an acute shortage of pity for the weak, where selfish personal gain becomes a goal of individual life and inconsiderateness for the dispossessed becomes the norm of the day, Baba Amte's life shines as a beacon. The message of his life will serve as a guiding light in the long path that we all have to take towards social harmony, his life gives us hope.

http://mss.niya.org/people/baba_amte.php

http://www.narmada.org/AMTE/vanaprastha1.html