Murlidhar Devidas Amte was born on December 24, 1914 in Hingaighat, Wardha. "He came to be known as Baba not because he is a saint or any such thing, but because his parents addressed him by that name," reveals Sadhanatai, his wife.

The seeds of social activism were sown early. Belonging to a family of brahmin jagirdars, regardless of his parents's disapproval, Baba Amte often ate with servants and played with lower caste children. As a nine-year-old, he was so moved by the sight of a blind beggar that he dropped a handful of silver coins in his bowl.

He studied law and started a lucrative practice in Wardha, but was appalled by the poverty in his family estate in the Chandrapur district of Maharashtra. He relinquished his robes and began working with sweepers and carriers of night soil.

He married Sadhana Guleshastri in 1946. He was touched when he saw her leave a wedding party to help an old servant. "I went to her house and told her parents that I was the suitable groom for her," he quips.

"She has been giving me a tulsi, haldi and milk concoction for years, she thinks it will make me fair," he laughs, while tai explains how good it is for his throat. Tai spends time between Anandwan and Kasrawad, and has always been at Baba Amte's side during all his campaigns.

After marriage, Baba Amte started working for those struck by leprosy outside Warora. He set up 11 weekly clinics around Warora and later started Anandwan, where they dug the lower depths of the earth in temperatures as high as 47 degrees before they found water. He took a formal course for leprosy treatment and even allowed his body to be used for an experiment to grow leprae germs. As it was ineffective, the experiment was abandoned later.

Anandwan was registered in 1951 and more land was given by the government. Two hospitals, a university, an orphanage, a school for the blind and technical wings were added subsequently. The ashram is now a self sufficient unit and more than 5,000 people are dependent on it for their livelihood.

Baba Amte also launched two Bharat Jodo -- Knit India -- Movements from Kashmir to Kanyakumari in 1985 and Assam and Gujarat in 1988. His aim was to establish peace and generate environmental awareness.

The proceeds of the several awards won by him and his family, amounting to nearly Rs 15 million have been given to Anandwan. Many familiar with his work say Baba should be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. To this, he has a simple answer: "Mine is a Noble Enterprise," he says

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Anandwan

Anandwan is the realization of the dream of one man- Muralidhar Devidas "Baba" Amte ­ and the enduring efforts of the organization he set up. For this journey, with all its trials and tribulations, holds major lessons for humankind. What made this journey possible is untiring energy and a never-say-die attitude. But what has given them sustenance, nourished their spirit and kept them going against all odds, are certain fundamental values that they have consistently upheld as an uncompromising charter throughout the years. These values are based on the belief:

In the inviolable, irreplaceable, intrinsic worth of each human being;

That however severe his or her disability may be; each person has uniquely invaluable gifts and capabilities to give to the world;

That an attempt must be made to overcome any disability; however great it may seem;

That social prejudice, taboos, and ignorance can all be overcome;

That as important as physical cure, if not more, is the restoration of the person's sense of self-respect and dignity;

That to achieve this, the way forward is not charity but empowerment, even of the most challenged.

Children attend school, youth attend university or learn a trade at Yuvagram or Sandhi Niketan. There is a post-office and a bank, community centers, and a store.

It all started with one hut in Anandwan. Today, all over the projects several types of houses provide shelter to its inhabitants. Homes are constructed to keep the heat out and withstand the heavy rainfalls of the monsoon. All residents can be sure that their basic needs are covered ­ food, clothing, shelter and medical services. There is no police force ­ most differences between residents are mediated by other members of the community. Senior citizens mentor younger folk and help take care of the little children.

- Gokul is a residence for 60 children who are either orphans or children of leprosy patients. Here, the children receive food, accommodation, clothing, books, stationary, medical care, transport facilities to school and other services.
- Uttarayan is a home for senior citizens caters to around 30 persons, again providing free food, accommodation and healthcare within a caring environment.
- Sneh Savali, established in 1983, is a home for both male and female leprosy patients who are aged. It currently cares for 181 senior citizens.
- Loti Raman Home for Senior Citizens (Wisdom Bank) takes inspiration from Baba's aphorism "Add life to years, not years to life... Tomorrow is dawning!" The vision is for Anandwan to benefit from the wisdom, knowledge and experience of senior citizens who have been long associated with the organization.
- Sukh Sadan (The House of Happiness) is a commune of rehabilitated leprosy patients where each social family is formed by two couples, who commit themselves to care for an older couple, affirming the enduring values of the traditional Indian family unit. The home is designed so the room for the older couple is flanked, on either side, by the rooms for the younger couples. The young repay the old for the legacy of well being they inherit from them.

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Today, there are four such communes at Anandwan (each in Baba's words, "a Kibbutz for the sick") its one of the largest communities of physically challenged people in the world. These include about 1,500 leprosy patients and cured leprosy patients, and another 1,000 people with other disabilities. Apart from Sukh Sadan, there is Mukti Sadan (The House of Freedom), Krishi Sadan (the House of Farms) and Mitrangan (the Patio for Friends). Each commune has a kitchen, storeroom, land, and clinic.

Muktangan, established in 1974, is the center for cultural activities. It is where weddings take place at Anandwan. It also serves as a reading room, a children's park and a home for animals. In 1999, the Anandwan Emporium Sales Center opened here.

In Anandwan, there is a unique monument ­ to "the anonymous tree." All events at Anandwan begin by placing a wreath on this monument as a social ritual. In fact, trees are extremely important in the life of Anandwan. Saplings are treated as special VIP guests at all events. They are brought to the site royally in a palanquin and then planted with ceremony and pomp!

Energy for cooking comes from the biogas plant, and food comes from the Anandwan and Somnath fields. Rainwater harvesting ensures that there is sufficient water for all. Best of all, Anandwan has some of the cleanest toilets in rural India! Developed in a way to minimize the use of water (which is extremely scarce) and maximize biogas production, the toilets are one of the highlights of the tour to this wonderful experiment in community living!

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These are people working with a motivation, born out of a sense of belonging to a shared community, which is very much their own, for which they are collectively responsible. It is this feeling that engenders a deep sense of self-respect and dignity among the citizens of Anandwan. There is little charity here; there is immense labor of love. Much of the production is sold, but more importantly, these workshops serve as practical training facilities where disabled residents and rural youth are trained in handloom weaving, tailoring, and other activities.

Together, the handloom and powerloom units produced nearly 100,000 meters of cloth in the financial year 1999-2000, which was valued at Rs. 3.5 million (around $74,000).

In the financial year 1999-2000, Anandwan produced nearly 20,000 square feet of mattresses and carpets worth over Rs. 300,000 (approximately $6,000).

Take a look at the intricate craftsmanship of these hands (show in photo to the right), one can begin to understand the deep insight underlying Baba's conviction that "Work builds, charity destroys." What a loss to this world had these creative artists been condemned to benevolent charity!

In the greeting card design unit, cards are made out of discarded waste and natural products. For example, artists craft beautiful scenes from dried banana leaves or used x-ray film is recycled to make a New Year's card! Anandwan's shoes from recycled tires are famous!

The Anandwan printing press prints notebooks for the four schools and colleges run by Maharogi Sewa Samiti, and all the stationery required by Anandwan. Apart from this, it carries out printing work for several outside agencies that prefer to order their printing work from a nonprofit. During the financial year 1999-2000, Anandwan completed printing orders worth close to Rs. 1.5 million (approximately $32,000).

The metal furniture workshop produces iron beds, desks, chairs, benches, metal bins, sieves, baking trays and other metal items. The workshop's output in the year 1999-2000 was more than Rs.1 million. (around $21,000).

They also make several assistive devices, such as tricycles operated by hand, for patients who cannot walk, hospital equipment, special kind of footwear made without any nails or sharp objects for leprosy patients, wheel chairs, and artificial limbs, are all designed and manufactured in Anandwan. They are distributed amongst the residents, free of cost. The surplus is sold outside, in the surrounding area. Almost 500 tricycles are manufactured annually.

At Anandwan, they realized that capital-intensive rural development projects have one major flaw. They frequently fail to utilize human power, a resource found in excess in rural areas. MSS blends urban and rural values, human and machine power. As Gandhi said "machine to suit to the rhythm of persons rather than persons to suit to the rhythm of machine."

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 Arts and Entertainment

"Happiness dies when not shared" -- Baba Amte

Musical Orchestra
 

At Anandwan, it was common for blind children to attend school till they were 14 years old. Then they would return home - but teachers and administrators realized that blind girls in particular were having a very difficult time adjusting to family life. Their family members consider them a 'burden' as it is extremely difficult to find a husband due to their disability. Many talented students from the Anand Blind School ended up depressed and hopeless. Due to the seriousness of this problem, MSS made an effort to train students to be performers, singers, and dancers.

There was a two-fold purpose - one, it would give them self-esteem and confidence to successfully perform in front of large audiences. Secondly, it could potentially give them an occupation that would provide financial security and reduce the burden on their families.

The first Musical Orchestra performance took place on 14th July 2002 at Anandwan. In the beginning, the project included only a few artists and a few musical instruments. Vijaya Chauhan of UNICEF donated funds through the Zilla Parishad (School Board). Share and Care Foundation established a Cultural and Musical Training and Performance Center for young Blind girls and boys. The musical orchestra has become extremely popular and receives requests to perform from around the state. Other members of the Anandwan community have also joined the talent pool. In fact - as Dr. Vikas says, "I had no idea some of the hidden talents of residents I've known for a long time... Its wonderful to see them appreciated and validated on stage."

Apart from the orchestra the children from the various schools performed several other drama and stage programs.

Visitors From All Over The World
 

Though Anandwan is deep in the heartland of India, it attracts visitors from all over the world. The approach of giving people a chance instead of charity has been a role model to many. Different kinds of workshops and seminars are held in the community. For example, in July 2003 an Amnesty International Congress will take place at Anandwan. As the headquarters for Maharogi Sewa Samiti, Anandwan also collaborates with international NGOs. For example there is the annual work camp from Nouvelle Planete, Switzerland, during the summer. These undergraduate students collect plastic from neighboring villages, and contribute their talents to Anandwan, and share in the community life. The campus is always abuzz with interesting people and the transfer of ideas and knowledge keeps the community vibrant.

 Art
 

Art is encouraged at Anandwan. Gani, who runs Anandwan's greeting card training workshops at Yuvagram, created an image of a tribal girl he immortalized in dried banana leaf art. To create this masterful portrait, he must dry banana leaves, and then he must carefully select different sections to create the desired color effects. He uses no paint ­ all the colors are natural!

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Healthcare

Anandwan Hospital

Established in 1951, the Anandwan Hospital now comprises 10 blocks, 2 dressing rooms, 2 patient wards, 2 dispensaries, 2 dining halls, and an office. Today nearly 650 patients are treated here on an annual basis. Over the last 50 years, nearly 35,000 leprosy patients have been treated or cured at this hospital. The warm, peaceful, green ambience of the hospital makes it feel less like a hospital and its cleanliness is exemplary. The utmost care is taken to clear paths of sharp objects such as stones and thorns, which could injure the patients, who would not even realize they have been hurt due to nerve damage caused by leprosy.

Leprosy is a chronic myco-bacterial disease, primarily affecting the peripheral nervous system and secondarily involving the skin and certain other tissues. There is a wide variation in the way the disease affects people, which depends primarily on differences in the immune system. In some cases, the disease involves only one peripheral nerve or causes a single skin blemish. In others, it produces countless nodules and other types of skin lesions, involves many peripheral nerves and leads to damage to vital organs such as eyes, larynx, testes, and bones. The deformities caused by leprosy include depressed nose, paralysis of eyelids, wrinkling of the skin of the face, disfigurement of earlobes, claw hands and feet. These deformities are one of the main reasons for the prejudice leprosy patients suffer from. It is for this reason that apart from multi-drug therapy, attention has also been paid to providing special devices for protection and rehabilitation of limbs and organs.

The Prejudice and Discrimination Against People with Leprosy

Rural areas in India abound with prejudices and superstitions regarding individuals afflicted by leprosy. The conventional wisdom is that leprosy is the result of sin of ones past births. As a result of this lack of knowledge, there is widespread rejection of such persons.

Leprosy patients where special footwear (shown in photo to the right) that does not use any nails or other objects, which may hurt the feet. The most remarkable thing about Anandwan is that these devices are designed and produced by the cured patients themselves.

Because of the social stigma attached to this malady, many opportunities and even basic rights like right to travel, education, property, employment, and insurance, remained totally inaccessible. But with little widespread education during these years in the sub-continent to counter these socially destructive beliefs, an entire group of people are social outcasts. That, for no fault of their own. It is also said about them:

"They are dead to the world but alive in the kingdom of God" and stay in indigenous lepra colonies, ghettoes, public places, around temples etc. in a "world within a world, but a world without a world" (Graham Green).

Maharogi Sewa Samiti currently takes care of approximately 2,095 individuals who have been treated for leprosy or are still undergoing some form of treatment and rehabilitation. Depending on how far the disease has progressed, Multi- Drug Treatment can take between 6 months up to 2 years to completely cure the patient. The majority of the post leprosy treatment consists of operations and therapy to minimize the disabilities (orthopedic/ visual) that result from the disease. If necessary, orthopedic aids (braces, artificial leg, tricycle etc) are provided to enhance the quality of life of the patients. The other major part of the post leprosy treatment is the prevention and treatment of the deformities that often occur with cured leprosy patients due to insensitivity of the limbs (nerve damage) and skin.

Dr. Pole supervises the hospital and the treatment of the patients. He is assisted by rehabilitated patients, or patients who offer help to the other patients. These assistants are always in the hospital and the needy patients can therefore always count on help. This approach, where there is always someone to take care, is called the "mother's approach."

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Shirdi Sai Baba Hospital

The General hospital in Anandwan, the Shri Shirdi Saibaba Hospital provides free medical service for the different inhabitants of Anandwan: the blind, deaf, orphans, senior citizens, Yuvagram trainees (rural school drop-outs) and other needy people from the surrounding villages (annually approximately 10,000 patient visits). Dr. Bharati Amte manages this hospital.

Education

Blind & Deaf School

The leprosy patients also constructed two residential schools at Anandwan for the visually impaired and the other for the hearing and speech impaired children from poor rural areas. The Anand Blind School was established in 1966. This is a government-recognized school with residential facilities for both boys and girls. A total staff of 30 caters to 107 students.

The Anand Deaf School was established in 1983. This is a government-recognized school with residential facilities for boys and girls. A staff of 37 caters to 107 students.

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Anand Niketan College

At Anandwan, rural youth can pursue undergraduate degrees in Arts, Science, Commerce (established 1964) at Anand Niketan College. This college, which is affiliated to the Nagpur University, has a total teaching and non-teaching staff of 84 personnel, who cater to more than 2,000 students. The Agriculture College (established 1965) has 51 staff members and 415 students. This college is affiliated to the PRD Agricultural University, Akola.

The buildings that house these students were built, brick by brick, by cured leprosy patients at Anandwan. Students come from as far away as Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. It is remarkable that most of the patients who constructed the hospital were social outcasts and would never have been admitted into a university because of discrimination due to their disability. By building this institution, they proved that it people with disabilities are capable of much productive work, and mental accessibility is one of the biggest barriers ­ not physical limitations.

 Sandhi Niketan

"A person can live without fingers but not without self-respect."
- Baba Amte

Established in 1972, with aid from Take Heart Foundation (U.K.), Sandhi Niketan trains disabled residents (polio-affected, deaf and blind). Many students return to their villages to earn their livelihood. The number of youth trained is approximately 100 per year (70% male; 30% female).

 ASHA ­ Yuvagram

Established in 1995, the Yuvagram project is a training center for rural school dropouts and non-literate youth. Yuvagram has become their second home where they live and work together, forging a new life for themselves and for the nation. The Yuvagram program provides vocational training for disenfranchised rural youth. The situation in India's villages is grim. The agricultural economy has collapsed and young people find it difficult to get a job. The ASHA-Yuvagram program gives the youths six months of training in a marketable trade, after which they can return to their villages in a stronger position to secure employment. Each group is about 50-60 students who in addition to training receive free food, accommodation, medical treatment and a stipend of Rs. 100 each per month. The Yuvagram complex consists of four workshops. Trainees learn electrical work, they also learn how to assemble air conditioners and coolers, and other marketable skills. Other workshops teach them offset printing, furniture making, auto repair, neon sign painting, and garment design, weaving, and sewing skills.

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Environment

The Agricultural, Horticultural and Dairy Farms were the first enterprises that the patients at Anandwan started in their quest for self-sufficiency. Within a few years, the rocky barren land was bearing five times the average yield in the district. This is ironic since the hands that toiled were often numb due to leprosy but the creativity of their scientific minds, prevailed. Today, Anandwan produces enough to meet its own requirements and to sell in the outside market. Agriculture is carried out on 250 acres of land that produce an annual output of 46 tons of food grains. The total annual income from sales of food grains, vegetables, and fruits, is about Rs. 2 million (approximately $42,000).

This income is directed toward meeting Maharogi Sewa Samiti's overhead and expenses. 70,000 liters of milk are produced annually at the Anandwan Dairy Farm out of which 45,000 liters are sold to the outside market.

Plastic Recycling

Dr. Vikas envisioned and implemented a very important initiative within and around Anandwan. The project includes discouraging the use of plastics and finding creative ways of disposing and reusing the plastic. Residents travel to nearby villages and collect plastic bags and other reusable trash.

The Shiny plastic sachets that are used for packaging candy are sent to the Greeting Card unit where decorative items are made from them. Other plastic wrappers and packets are first cleaned and shredded. These shreds are then utilized in making stabilized earthen bricks.

Other plastic waste is used to make pillows and mattresses. The ingenuity is fascinating and inspiring. Even old car tires are used to make soles for shoes.

Anandwan has a full-fledged hospital and that generates medical waste. By re-using the waste, it reduces the impact on the environment. Saline bottles become white Christmas trees with little ornaments hanging (Photo from my web site, Plastic Recycling page, Caption "A young woman is cutting up the saline bottle to create the tree".

While re-use still leaves open the ultimate bio-degradation issue, it is at least a big step in the right direction. While plastic is essential in certain applications, are we abusing it by using it for everything from packaging to furniture to industrial components? How many more landfills and incinerators can we create? When do the levels of carcinogens become so high that we will refuse to tolerate the situation?

The plastic re-use project makes visitors to Anandwan really think about the impact of the plastic industry on the environment.

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Eco-friendly Building

Earthen Bricks
Plastic shreds are mixed with cement, sand and mud to make a stabilized mud block. Combining sand, mud and cement is commonly used in rammed earth homes in the US and sand, mud, and straw are used in making adobe/cobb homes. This natural technology is seeing a revival due to the environmental damage that conventional building materials cause. Dr. Vikas Amte's invention is based on his own experimentation along with Chandramani, a leprosy patient who passed away recently. Dr. Amte is currently interested in partnering with other people involved with natural building or scientists in the field willing to document his invention.

This eco-friendly method of making bricks provides them adequate compressive strength without firing, thus eliminating the use of fuel! The bricks are cured under water (shown in photo to the right).

Nubian cottages
 

Another unique feature that Dr. Vikas Amte incorporated in Anandwan's characteristic architectural design, is the use of Nubian vaults to form the roof of the building. These dome shape buildings economize a great deal on the use of cement and steel, which is very expensive in India. These houses are very comfortable during both the hot summer and the cold winter months. They can withstand the heavy rains in the monsoon season. The houses have proved to be earthquake proof. This was successfully demonstrated at Killari and Latur, earthquake affected regions (1993). Herringbone brick structure is used in the half round barrel dome.

These bricks and Nubian vaults have also been deployed in the construction of the biogas plants, which are extensively used throughout Anandwan. These building innovations clearly warrant further study and exploration by architects and other building professionals who are seriously interested in cost-effective and ecologically viable technologies.

Spiral brick houses
Another new technique is the construction of flat roofed houses where the roof is made with bricks. The spiral brick roof is weather, wind and rat proof and maintenance free. Any house can get the spiral brick roof: rectangular, square or round. The spiral brick roof is made without the necessity of support during construction therefore saving time, human resources, and construction materials.

The brick making and construction of the Nubian and spiral brick houses are techniques that could be transferred to others who are interested in eco-friendly and cost effective building technology. Dr. Vikas Amte is looking for architects and building experts to help him document the techniques and share them with a wider audience.

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Biogas

At Anandwan, even human and animal waste is not wasted! Biogas (methane) is harvested and used for generating energy for cooking. Also the slurry (left behind after the other microbial processes are completed) is pumped out of the biogas plants and used for fisheries and vermin compost. It is also used to improve the nutrient poor soil at Anandwan. The slurry is transformed into compost via another microbial process. This composting activity is also done in Anandwan along with earthworm farming. Biogas plants are an important component of resource recovery at Anandwan.

 

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 Water Management

The drinking water supply comes from several bore wells. From these wells everyday a series of overhead tanks are filled with the water for consumption, bathing and cooking. Houses are equipped with smaller tanks for household use. Their wastewater is collected in a gutter system and rerouted to the ponds.

Water management is essential for agriculture. This is provided with a unique Micro Watershed Management Scheme. Ponds are dug to collect the rain during the monsoon. This water can be used for irrigation of the land. On top the ponds increase the groundwater level. Whether or not a pond dries up during the summer period depends on the size of it. Only a few ponds keep the water all year round. Projects are initiated to increase the number of ponds that have enough capacity to keep water all year round.

The ponds are also used for fish breeding and Poly Carp culture. Several programs have been initiated to improve the production and the quality of the fish. The fish is sold in the local markets.

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 Forestry

When the Government of India gave Baba Amte the Anandwan property, it was barren. Over half a century, the residents have transformed it into a beautiful and green forest. To make the vegetation as natural as possible, the Multi-tier Silva-pastoral System (multi- layered forest/grassland system) was used. The forest is important since it supplies various resources: fuel, composting material and construction material. The trees provide resting and shelter places for birds and little squirrels. Anandwan grows saplings, therefore, eliminating the need to purchase them from nurseries. Teak saplings are planted on a separate piece of land, and within a number of years, this can be another source of income for Anandwan.

Other Activities

To demonstrate the potential of harnessing solar energy as a viable and eco-friendly alternative, solar panels are used for heating water in Anandwan Hospital. Due to a lack of funds to expand the program, Anandwan has not used this elsewhere.

The greenhouse technology developed under Dr. Vikas Amte's guidance is a low input technology, using minimum water. Such greenhouses are manufactured and installed by Anandwan for nearby farmers on a turnkey basis.

To promote the concept of catching rainwater wherever it falls, an envelope dam has been built at Anandwan. This earthen dam collects surface runoff from the entire campus, which is used for irrigation and other purposes, and also helps recharge the groundwater.

Whenever residents have spare time, they plant trees. This activity is highly respected at Anandwan, and therefore any downtime is utilized in beautifying the community and simultaneously helping the environment!

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Contact Details

MSS Headquarters, Anandwan
Maharogi Sewa Samiti, Warora
At & Post ANANDWAN - 442 914
Via Warora, Dist. Chandrapur,
Maharashtra State
Pin: 442 914
Phone: 07176 - 282034, 282425
Fax: 07176 - 282134
e-mail: anandwan@gmail.com  

Somnath
Tah. Mul, Dist. Chandrapur,
Maharashtra State
Pin: 441 224
Phone: 07174 - 202238

Lok Biradari Prakalpa, Hemalkasa
Tah. Bhamragad, Dist. Gadchiroli,
Maharashtra State
Pin: 442 710
Phone: 07134 - 220001
Fax: 07134 - 220112  

Ashokwan
Post Rui, Near Saint Vincent Palotti Engineering College,
Wardha Road, Dist. Nagpur, Maharashtra State
Pin: 441 108
Phone: 07103 - 275546  

Nagepalli
(Base Camp for Lok Biradari Prakalpa, Hemalkasa)
Tah. Alapalli, Dist. Gadchiroli, Maharashtra State
Pin: 442 703
Phone: 07133 - 266447 / 202047
 

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