Anandwan

Murlidhar Devidas Amte, popularly known as Baba Amte (26 December 1914 – 9 February 2008) was an Indian social worker and social activist known particularly for his work for the rehabilitation and empowerment of poor people suffering from leprosy. He built Anandwan as a free home to the people suffering from leprosy, who were socially outcast. Anandwan Ashram is a fruit of one person's ceaseless efforts and dedicated humanitarian work. Baba has demonstrated, with elan, as to how a single individual can make a difference to the world. The work of this institution has converted the barren, lifeless area into a lush green forest with the help of leprosy patients who had suffered from crippling deformities. In those days, leprosy was associated with social stigma and the society disowned people suffering from leprosy. There was also a widespread misbelief that leprosy was highly contagious. Amte strove to dispel the misbelief and once allowed bacilli from a leprosy patient to be injected into him while participating in an experimental test aimed at proving that leprosy was not highly contagious. For his humanistic service and social work Baba was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay award in 1985 and The United Nations Prize in the field of human rights in the year 1988. He also received many such prestigious awards. Anandwan has not only helped them fight rejection, both from families and society, but also showed them a way to contribute meaningfully to the world and how!