PRESENTATION ON

“BABA AMTE”
Presented By:
JENIFER ALAM AJMERI(LAM19014)
NAYANMONI DUTTA(LAM19011)
Student, Department of Law, Tezpur University
 INTRODUCTION
• What is social transformation?
restructuring of all aspects of life from culture to social
relations, from politics to economy, from the way we think to
the way we live.
process by which an individual alters the socially ascribed
social status of their parents into a socially achieved status for
themselves and first occurs with the individual and the second
with the social system.
 SOCIAL ENTERPRENEUR

• Person who establishes an enterprise with the aim of

solving social problems or effecting social change.
• Small scale projects run by local or regional social
entrepreneurs.
BABA AMTE
 BABA AMTE(Conti..)
• Born in 1914, 26 December in Hinganghat
• Murlidhar Devidas Amte
• Indian social worker
• The name of his spouse is Sadhana Amte. The name of his grandchildrens are Sheetal
Amte, Digant Amte, Aniket Amte, Arti Amte.
• Calcutta Schhol of Tropical Medicine, Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University.
• Padma Shri(1971), Jamnalal Bajaj Award for Constructive Work(1979), Ramon
Magsaysay Award for Public Service(1985), Padma Vibhushan(1986), United Nation
Prize in the field of Human Rights(1998).Templeton Prize(1990), Gandhi Peace
Prize(2000), Maharashtra Bhushan (2004).
BABA AMTE
 BABA AMTE(Conti..)
• He is commonly known as Baba Amte
• He was an Indian social worker and social activist known particularly for
his work for the rehabilitation and empowerment of people suffering from
leprosy.
• He died in 9 February 2008.
ROLE PLAYED BY BABA AMTE AS AN SOCIAL ENTERPRENEUR

• Baba Amte spent much of his holidays with the neighboring Gond tribals and even
participated in some of their activities. He remained concerned for the disadvantaged even
after attaining adulthood and even after he qualified as a lawyer.
• He felt only disgust for the legal profession. He felt unhappy that he earned more for
chattering for fifteen minutes than did a laborer who toiled in the fields for twelve hours.
So, he used his legal acumen to defend members of the disadvantaged sections of society.
• He organized Indian lawyers to provide free legal aid to freedom fighters who had been
jailed by British and denied a fair trial. Later when he settled down in Warora to look after
his family property he organized and defended the rights of sweepers and weavers. In
recognition of his contribution he was nominated to a senior position in the Warora
Municipal Corporation.(1976)
 ROLE PLAYED BY BABA AMTE AS AN
SOCIAL ENTERPRENEUR(Conti..)
• Baba Amte experimented with various ways of serving disadvantaged groups.
One of his experiments was an attempt to create an intercaste community.
Several others tried to dissuade him from going ahead with this experiment.
He assembled families of various communities on a piece of land given to
him by a friend. Brahmins, harijans, beggars and cobblers coexisted there,
worked together and cultivated the land. The produce was sold to the local
community. The area was however infested by mosquitoes. Soon all members
of the community succumbed to malaria. Collective work came to a standstill
and the experiment had to be abandoned. He thought disappointed viewed the
whole episode as a important learning experience. (1986)
BABA AMTE AS A PERSON TO SERVE LEPROSY PATIENTS

• His lifelong commitment was to serve for the leprosy patients.

• One day, as he was cleaning the latrines, he came across a bundle of rages which was moving. On closer
inspection, he found that it was a human being in the last stages of leprosy ... a rotting maa of human
flesh with two holes in the place of a nose, without a trace of fingers or toes and with worms in the sores
that had once been nostrils and eye-sockets.(1971).
• The person seemed to be in great pain but was unable to express it. Baba Amte took at this leprosy
patient and ran away revolted.(1971). On reflection Amte could see that this revulsion was in fact an
irrational fear of the patient and the person who had been afraid was none other than the very person
whom Gandhiji had not so long ago called Abhay Sadhak the same man who had on several occasions in
the past put his life in danger to save others lives and property. For the next five or six months Amte
went through a period of agonizing soul searching and kept questioning himself.
• People get inspiration from the ruins of temples and they collect donations for it.
BABA AMTE AS A PERSON TO SERVE
LEPROSY PATIENTS(Conti…)
 BABA AMTE AS A PERSON TO SERVE
LEPROSY PATIENTS(Conti…)
• But in this human ruin, instead of beauty, why did I experience fear? He asked himself what would I have
done if my wife or son had leprosy? Would I have thrown them in a gutter and run away ? He realized that
he would certainly not have done so.
• They have scarified so much for him that by abandoning them he would actually be disloyal to himself. As
he went through these moments of EXTREME TORMENT his decision to serve leprosy patients and
conquer the fear he had experienced soon became an obsession. There was a lady in the last stages of
leprosy who stayed in a cemetery close to Baba Amte’s intercaste community. Baba Amte decided to serve
her first.
• Baba Amte had no idea at all about the nature of leprosy or whether the disease would respond to treatment.
• He decided to serve leprosy patients came at a time when society’s image of such patients was very
negative. Patients were treated as social rejects and families tried to hide the fact that their family members
had leprosy.
 BABA AMTE AS A PERSON TO SERVE
LEPROSY PATIENTS(Conti…)
• When this became difficult, they disowned the patient, lest the whole family should come in for ridicule
and social boycott. Overnight, the patient would lost his dignity , his self-respect and his family – all
aspects are so vital for his social survival. Baba Amte in an instance said to a patient that who was asked
never to return to his family. They said they had already performed his last rites signifying that he was
dead as far as they were concerned.
• Some people thought that Baba Amte put his families life in danger as he was moving one leprosy
patients to another leprosy patient and by doing this leprosy would soon spread to everyone. A part of
the family felt angry that he was jeopardizing his family’s health. They felt that he had no right to
expose them to such danger. Some of his concern friends asked him why he was engaged in such dirty
work. At this point Baba Amte was righteous anger and gave reply that “it is strange that men seeks
sublime inspiration from the ruins of old temples or churches but sees none in the ruins of man”.
THE DECISION TO BE AN ENTERPRENEUR IN ORDER TO SERVE
LEPROSY PATIENTS:

• To familiarize himself with the treatment of leprosy, Baba Amte attended a clinic at WARORA
and learnt the rudiment of leprosy treatment.
• “THERE IS NO QUALIFICATION FOR SERVE AS YET. WHOEVER HAS THE DESIRE TO SERVE SHOULD
BE ABLE TO DO SO, TODAY WE HAVE OBTAINED INDEPEMDENCE AND YET OUR DOCTORS ARE
NOT WILLING TO SERVE LEPROSY PATIENTS. HOW LONG WILL MISSIONARIES FROM OUTSIDE
SERVE THESE PEOPLE? AS A YOUTH OF THIS COUNTRTY I WANT TO DO SOMETHING FOR THE
LEPROSY PATIENTS. AND YOU DON’T EVEN WANT TO GIVE ME A CHANCE?’’
• Many attempts were made to dissuade Baba from responding to the aspirations of leprosy
patients. Baba Amte approached GANDHIJI and VINOBAJI for their blessings. Their reactions
were cautious but encouraging. Baba along with his family and 6 leprosy patients from the clinic
took the first few steps towards creating a new INSTITUTION that is ANANDWAN
TREATMENT cum REHABILITATION CENTRE for leprosy patients.
 ANANDWAN:THE CHALLENGE AND THE RESPONSE

• Survival was a challenge given the physical terrain of ANANDWAN.

• Baba had to deal with threats from the external society.
• Groups of villagers tried to intimidate Baba and threatened to kill him. At other times, they set fire to
the forest near Baba’s hut.
• As days passed, it was becoming difficult to survive. There were days when water boiled but there
was no gain. He had no choice but to approach the neighbouring villages for money. When he heard
someone dying, he would request the person to donate something to ANANDWAN in his name.
• Baba approached a rich man from his village for donations. The man invited Baba to his house and
made him wait for four hours. Baba returned to ANANDWAN without meeting him. He resolved that
he will never seek charity from others. In his diary he wrote, “CHARITY DESTROYS, WORK
BUILDS”.
 AMTE’S EFFORT TO MAKE
ANANDAWAN SELF-SUFFICIENT
• The decision to make Anandwan self-sufficient is not an easy task.
• EVERY WASTE HAD A USE EXCEPT WASTE OF TIME. Baba learnt from Gandhiji that
those who live on society’s funds must make use of it.
• “ THE FELLOWSHIP OF PAIN KNOWS NO BARRIERS- NO CASTE, CREED, RELIGION,
GEOGRAPHIC OR ETHNIC BARRIERS. GOD HAS GIVEN THE MALADY TO ALL. HE HAS SPARED
NO CASTE. IF YOU ARE AFFECTED TOGETHER, WHY NOT LIVE TOGETHER?”
• The governments was largely apathetic to Anandwan’s requests for funds though they were
quick to criticize Baba’s treatment of leprosy patients. They argued that he was not a
qualified doctor to treat leprosy.
• Baba requested student doctors of some medical colleges to serve at Anandwan but did not
receive a positive response. Finally he was able to obtain the assistance of a dedicated nurse.
 BABA’S EFFORT TO LEGITIMIZE
ANANDWAN
• Baba decided to grow crops for the neighbouring society’s consumption.
• He believed firmly that it was good to get but better to give.
• During the time of Indo-Pakistan war they staged a play and collected rupees 2,500 which was
given to the Indian Defence Fund.
• Later Baba suggested that the patients should build a college. They agreed to contribute their
labour towards the construction of a college. The college now attracts students from all over the
country. Baba’s desire was that the students of this college would ultimately become
ambassadors not only for Anandwan but also in the war against leprosy.
• Baba dreamt of a future where homes like Anandwan may become redundant, where leprosy
patients could get treated and return to normal life in society. He shared this dream with
Gnadhiji.
 BABA AMTE’S SYNDROME AS AN
SOCIAL ENTERPRENEUR
BABA AMTE’S MOTIVES:- The motives which drove him to realize his mission :
a) need to conquer fear
b) Strong urge to fight injustice
c) The urge to experiment
The abilities which helped him to achieve his objectives : a) The courage to
withstand social censure.
b) A sensitivity to the feelings of others
c) Ability to preserve.
d) Ability to put in long hours of work on a sustained basis.
 BABA AMTE’S SYNDROME AS AN
SOCIAL ENTERPRENEUR(Conti..)
• BABA AMTE’S BELIEFS OR ATTITUDES: a) A belief that responsibility is not
transferable.
b) Everything is a resource.
c) A Do and Show Orientation.

‘ I DO NOT TOLERATE A YAWNING GAP BETWEEN THOUGHTS AND

ACTIONS”. He had no sympathy for people who said ,” DO AS I SAY” because he
himself believed in the dictum, “DO AS I DO”. Thus when he visualised Anandwan, he
wanted it to have a “DO AND SHOW” orientation.
 IMPLICATIONS FOR RESEARCH AND
PRACTICE AND BABA AMTE
• Measures will also have to be developed for each of the variables identified in order to
facilitate research on social entrepreneurs.
• It may necessary to repeat this study in different contexts in order to see whether variations
in environments call for variations in the elements of the Baba Amte syndrome.
• If the social entrepreneurs syndrome can be validated through the research process, this
could aid funding agencies in the identification and selection of social entrepreneurs for
development projects.
• The social entrepreneur syndrome will also be of use of development trainers. Social
entrepreneur development programmes can either stimulate or put trainees through real life
social situations in order to develop requisite real life social situations in order to develop
requisite motivation, abilities and attitudes.
 CONCLUSION
• “life is like a stud-horse- once you mount it and control the reins, you can
have fun. You may get thrown off ninety nine times. But you may succeed
in the 100th attempt. You have to keep trying till you succeed”. This
statement by Baba Amte was amply demonstrated by his responses to
certain situations during the creation of Anandwan. For instance, when a
rich man in the village refused donation, Baba take this as a challenge. His
immense contribution for rehabilitation and empowerment of people
suffering from leprosy will keep motivating the generations for years.
THANK YOU