An apostle of strength and sensitivity

Ritam Banati

"Those who don`t have pain, don`t have dreams: Baba Amte

A chance encounter during childhood with a blind beggar was what set the foundation behind the shunning of conventional temptations later in life and embracing a chain of sacrifices. One meeting was all that was needed. That day, a young boy of eight was smitten with Diwali festivity when he rushed out with a handful of coins. But when that boy met a sightless man, Murlidhar Devidas Amte felt compelled to drop all of his coins into the waiting bowl. Amte`s childhood and youth were spent in luxury. Although his father was a strict man and forbade him among other things to play with `low caste` children, Baba relished childhood and teenage joys. These included, watching cinema and owning his car at a young age. His greatness lay in the fact that he avoided succumbing to the luxuries of life, which were always within his reach.

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He was quite brilliant academically as is proved by his educational qualifications. Amte was a practising lawyer before he turned to social change. Someone has aptly remarked that his contribution to society`s amelioration outshone all awards that he earned. Noted among the people who influenced him the most were Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore. At the time of Gandhiji`s arrest after Dandi March, Amte started his college education. Baba is also known to have spent time at Gandhiji`s Sevagram Ashram in Maharashtra. He was taken in by Gandhiji`s unique blend of non-violence and rationality. Tagore`s impact on his mind, taught Amte the strong bond between God, beauty, and humanity.

All this while Amte continued his lucrative legal practice. He also looked after the family farmland when he had time to spare. What filled him with guilt was that while he earned so well for arguing only for a little while, a labourer`s sweat had much less financial worth. He felt that he had not added to the fertility of the land, which was legally his. This did not make him feel like its master.

Contribution to freedom struggle

It was due to Amte`s belief in equality, that a village well got opened to the Harijans. At the time of Gandhiji`s Quit India Movement, Amte took up cudgels against the British empire in his own way. He organised the lawyers to further the cause of jailed leaders. But British suppression led to his imprisonment instead. At this time, he realised that some wanted him to take up cases to absolve them of heinous crimes like rape on the basis of sheer lies. This was enough to make Amte fully recognize the hollowness of legal practice.

His wedding

Amte had decided to remain single until he spotted his prospective life partner in Indu Ghuleshastri. What touched his heart was her compassion for the poor. They got married and Amte gave up his family wealth as well as his profession to embark on an arduous but fulfilling social adventure with his companion. The beginning

Much swayed by Sane Guruji`s open defiance of the caste system, Amte and his wife who was now called Sadhna congregated a number of people in their Shram Ashram which was open to all. Amte`s humility is reflected from his toil as a scavenger alongside others for many months. But this was just the beginning. A whole life of total altruism followed suit.

The final straw

The last straw was the sight of a leper on the street. The sight was so deplorable that Amte ran away from there impulsively. He confessed later that it was his fear that made him do that. He felt quite small in his own eyes when he realised that he had not been scared of so many things and had bravely fought against so many others. That the sight of a hapless leper would fill him with fear was too hard to digest. He then rushed back and tended that leper`s wounds. He honestly admitted to the world that his decision to start a mission against leprosy was primarily to overcome this apprehension. That Baba was truly sensitive to lepers is evident from the words, which he uttered later and which came to form the hallmark of his battle against the much horrendous disease. He said, "A man can live without fingers, but he cannot live without self-respect. " This realisation is what set Baba apart from others, that he went a step ahead in the field of his calling.

Forest of Bliss

`Anandwan`, as it is popularly called was a corroboration of Baba`s exceptional efforts to infuse self-pride in these largely spurned members of society. A barren land turned into a green carpet due to the stupendous work of the lepers. Baba`s leadership was the result of his charismatic personal appeal, which instilled the much-needed confidence in the people who can`t really be called physically complete. The task of Anandwan did not end here. As and when the lepers mastered skills, some went out to face the world with a feeling of enhanced self-esteem. The ashram is credited with various achievements like the establishment of a college of agriculture, a primary school for blind children, a school for deaf and dumb children and an orphanage. This groundbreaking work is what attracted several tangible awards. The indomitable spirit

Baba was only 50 when he was diagnosed with severe cervical spondylosis. Because he had not amassed any money for himself, his friends sent him abroad for an operation. He even underwent a second operation in Mumbai. But he was confined to the cot and became bed-ridden. The spirit of this extraordinary human being refused to be deterred by his physical predicament. Even now he nursed the idea of an agro-industrial society and started thinking of how to transform India on the basis of the model he had in mind, which was the result of his success at Anandwan. Baba asked himself, "If we could build up a happy community under the most difficult circumstances, why cannot healthy people do the same under much more favourable circumstances? Why can the youth of India not do the same?"

Baba was also instrumental in the opening of Somnath camps in Maharashtra which became a complete training ground for the youth of the country. These social camps encouraged political and social ideals among the youth and provided inspiration to them to become mentally polished Indian citizens. He said, "Consider the honeybee. Its treasure is nectar, obtained even from the chilly plant. It is not at the cost of the flower. In fact, its act of extracting honey contributes to the progress of the flowers. You need not learn from Kahlil Gibran, Marx or Gorbachev, not even from Gandhiji. Choose instead to learn your lesson from the honeybees as your silent partners: they will show you how to develop without destroying."Messiah of the Narmada Bachao Andolan Baba left Anandwan for the cause of tribals. He, along with social activist Medha Patkar was a strong opponent of the government`s much controversial Sardar Sarovar Project. He sought to convince its propagators against the project`s futility. Baba`s major contribution to the much-debated cause was also one of the main reasons why the NBA was brought into limelight by the media. They say, "Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown". But for Baba Amte who wore an non-tangible crown, it was well-deserved. His life proved his conviction, "First you have to take the spear in your heart, then you can take the crown on your head."