Mumbai, December 26: Today is the 105th birth anniversary of Murlidhar Devidas Amte, popularly known as Baba Amte. Born in Wardha district of Maharashtra, Amte dedicated his entire life for the welfare of leprosy patients and undertook great work for the conservation of nature. Baba Amte's life journey working includes working for the underprivileged, providing medical treatment and empowering them to lead better lives, which is nothing short of inspirational. The unique activist dedicated his life for those who were affected with leprosy, at a time when nobody would help them. Amte also worked for the conservation of nature. He was known as Baba not because he was a saint or any such thing, but because his parents called him by that name, his wife Sadhanatai Amte had said about him. Anand van ashram is where Amte served the poor and made them self-reliant.

Born into a wealthy family in Maharashtra, Amte studied law. Though his father Devidas Amte worked for the British government, he got involved in the Indian freedom struggle inspired by Mahatma Gandhi. Amte lead a comfortable life thanks to his family but his life changed after he met a man suffering from leprosy. His world came crushing down when he saw the decaying body of a man and decided to do something about the problem.

"Exposed early on to a life of privilege, he would hunt wild animals, play sports, and drive luxurious cars. He went on to study law and was running his own successful firm by his 20s. Despite his upbringing, however, Amte was aware of India's class inequalities throughout his childhood," described Google Doodle post dedicated to him in 2018.

Amte strived all his life in order to drive away the stigma attached to leprosy patients who would be often disowned by their close ones and family members. Fighting to change the notion that leprosy was highly contagious and even went on to inject himself with bacilli from a leper. A Gandhian himself, he launched the first Knit India movement in 1985 for public awareness about ecological balance and wildlife preservation.

"A strong believer in national unity, Amte launched the first Knit India March in 1985. At age 72, he walked from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, a distance of more than 3,000 miles with the simple purpose to inspire unity in India. For his service towards the society, in 1971, Amte was awarded the Padma Shri Award and the United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights in 1988, and the 1999 Gandhi Peace Prize," Google described Amte, paying tribute to the activist.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 26, 2019 09:32 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).