I have sought my God, my God eluded me
I sought my brother and I got all the three…’
With these words the enigmatic Baba gave a glimpse of his noble soul, it reflected the selfless strength with which he has devoted his entire life to the care and rehabilitation of leprosy patients, physically disabled, tribals and homeless people. With his indefatigable energy and dedication, Baba serves as a source of inspiration, empowering the 2500 strong community at his aptly titled path-breaking development project, Anandvan, ‘the forest of bliss’.
For the first time in the history of Baba Amte’s Ashram, students of a management school visited and stayed at Anandvan, with the objective to develop social consciousness and study the relevance of management in social work. It reiterates the novel pedagogic innovation in management education, which is the hallmark of the S P Jain Institute of Management and Research, where out-of-classroom learning is focused on inculcating in participants the sensitivity to real-world issues. The students were guided by Mrs. Neeraja Mattoo, the chairperson of DOCC, who carries with her an invaluable experience of 20 years in the field of development, voluntary action and corporate citizenship, Dr Tapan Bakshi, the Head of the Operations Department and Mrs. Mona Nanavat, Professor, IT Department at SPJIMR.
SPJIMR established the DOCC as a full time social wing of the Institute in the year 2001 to assist the Institute in its social responsibilities. It has provided its PGDBM students an opportunity to apply their managerial skills in unorganized Sectors by means of DOCC projects. By working on the DOCC projects along with the NGOs and the corporates the students are able to understand their social responsibilities. The trip to Anandvan was one such endeavor inculcating the spirit of social service in the students.
As a part of the project, the students studied the various self-sustaining units including the agriculture, plastic recycling, eco-friendly building, biogas, water management, forestry and other environmental projects carried out in Anandvan, the headquarters of Baba’s Maharogi Sewa Samiti. The students were also awed by a live performance by the immensely talented physically challenged members of Anandvan’s orchestra, Swaranandan.
Speaking to the students, Baba stressed on the necessity of young leaders to gain more exposure by working at the grass root level and develop empathy towards the problems of the people. “The illiterate literates of the country have kept the society alive”, he said. Rousing the social consciousness of the students he gave a call to ‘go back to the villages’ and make deeds, not words their focus. ‘The world is safe in the breath of the youth.’ Saying this Baba stirred the hearts and fired the minds of the spellbound students urging them to listen to the dictates of their conscience to always care for the mighty palm of the people working ‘with’ the people and not for the people.
Baba’s legacy is carried on through the tireless work of his family, including his wife, Sadhana Tai Amte who in their own ways has contributed significantly to furthering Baba’s vision. With their unremitting commitment towards the social cause, the third generation of Mr. Kaustubh and Ms Sheetal Amte, the children of Mr. Prakash Amte are carrying Baba’s message forward.