Baba Amte

Baba Amte was a Titan among men, who lived and served leprosy patients all through his life.A man of indomitable spirit, Baba Amte had the rare courage to outlive the dimensions set by a society unaccustomed to serve leprosy patients on the streets. Baba Amte had his earlier training in leprosy from Dattapur colony at the suggestion of Vinoba Bhave and later he had the formal training at the School of Tropical Medicine at Kolkatta. Physical handicaps did not deter him to do what he felt as right and he plunged into leprosy work as no one ever did before. His name became synonymous with leprosy and he received the highest national and international honours and awards. I had the privilege of meeting him on a few occasions and his words gave me immense courage to do leprosy work. I recall the occasion when Baba Amte planted a sapling in the backyard of Bombay Leprosy Project years ago. He infused courage inthe minds of leprosy workers and comforted the patients wherever he went. His life and mission endeared him to millions of people in India and abroad. Though he shed his body in February this year, Baba Amte will live in the minds of millions of right thinking admirers.
Dr. A. R. K. Pillai, President Mumbai- 17-3-08Indian Development Foundation (IDF)[Formerly Indian Leprosy Foundation]