Baba Amte
Social worker who cared for people affected by leprosy
- Lived
- 93 yrs
- 1914 – 2008
- Works listed
- 0
- Career highlights
- Honours
- 4
- Most recent 1999
- Profile views
- 3
- 0 followers
Baba Amte was a social worker who gave up a comfortable life as a lawyer to care for people affected by leprosy, founding the self-sufficient community of Anandwan in Maharashtra. He also led a cycle march for national unity and joined the protests against the Sardar Sarovar dam. He died in 2008.
Biography
A wealthy youth
Murlidhar Amte was born into a rich landowning family and as a young man drove sports cars and enjoyed hunting. He trained as a lawyer and practised in Warora, while drawn to Gandhi’s ideas and the freedom movement.
Turning point
Amte later said that seeing a man dying of leprosy, abandoned in the rain, changed his life. At a time when leprosy patients were shunned, he learnt to treat the disease and in 1949 founded Anandwan (“forest of joy”) near Warora with his wife Sadhana, a few patients and a little land.
Anandwan
Anandwan grew into a self-sufficient community where people affected by leprosy, disabled people and tribal people farmed, ran workshops and built their own homes, proving that they could live with dignity. Amte also founded projects for the Madia Gond tribal people at Hemalkasa, now run by his son Prakash.
Activism and honours
In 1985, aged seventy, he led the Bharat Jodo Yatra, a cycle march from Kanyakumari to Kashmir to promote national unity. From 1990 he lived on the banks of the Narmada in support of people displaced by the Sardar Sarovar dam. He received the Ramon Magsaysay Award (1985), the Padma Vibhushan (1986), the Templeton Prize (1990) and the Gandhi Peace Prize (1999), and died at Anandwan on 9 February 2008.
Timeline
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1914
Born in Hinganghat, Wardha district, Central Provinces (now Maharashtra)
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1949
Founds Anandwan
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1973
Starts the Hemalkasa tribal project
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1985
Bharat Jodo Yatra; Ramon Magsaysay Award
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1986
Padma Vibhushan
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1990
Moves to the Narmada; Templeton Prize
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1999
Gandhi Peace Prize
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2008
Dies at Anandwan
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2008
Died, aged 93
Awards and honours
-
Ramon Magsaysay Award
1985
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Padma Vibhushan
1986
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Templeton Prize
1990
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Gandhi Peace Prize
1999
Did you know?
-
1
He gave up a life of sports cars and hunting.
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2
Anandwan means “forest of joy”.
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3
He cycled across India at the age of seventy.
Connections
Frequently asked
Who is Baba Amte?
Baba Amte was a social worker who gave up a comfortable life as a lawyer to care for people affected by leprosy, founding the self-sufficient community of Anandwan in Maharashtra. He also led a cycle march for national unity and joined the protests against the Sardar Sarovar dam. He died in 2008.
When did Baba Amte die?
Baba Amte died on 9 February 2008 at the age of 93.
Where is Baba Amte from?
Baba Amte was born in Hinganghat, Wardha district, Central Provinces (now Maharashtra).
What is Baba Amte known for?
Baba Amte is best known for Founding Anandwan; work with leprosy patients; Bharat Jodo Yatra; Narmada Bachao Andolan.
What awards has Baba Amte received?
Notable honours include Ramon Magsaysay Award (1985), Padma Vibhushan (1986), Templeton Prize (1990), Gandhi Peace Prize (1999).
Who is Baba Amte married to?
Spouse: Sadhana Amte.
References
- Baba Amte — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 27 October 2026.
- Baba Amte — Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 27 October 2026.
- Baba Amte — Hindi Wikipedia. Wikipedia (Hindi). Retrieved 27 October 2026.
- Official website. www.anandwan.in. Retrieved 27 October 2026.
- Baba Amte (Q470135) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 27 October 2026.
Includes material from the Wikipedia article “Baba Amte”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. That text is available under the same licence. Learn more
External links
About this profile
- Researched by the TrackFame editorial team; reviewed by Sanjay Sokal under our editorial policy
- First published 27 October 2026
- Last updated
Cite this page
“Baba Amte.” TrackFame, last updated 28 October 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/baba-amte
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