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Wisdom Song: The Life
of Baba Amte
Mirchandani, by her own admission, is not a writer by profession. But so fascinated was Mirchandani by Baba’s persona and his work that she made it a point to visit him each time she came to India from the US where she lives. She was privileged to be present when the Dalai Lama came to spend time with Baba Amte in January 2004. Later, the Dalai Lama wrote in his book, Freedom in Exile, about Baba Amte and his meeting. "Baba Amte is an extraordinary person`85. Whereas my compassion is just so much talk, his shone through everything he did." This extraordinary meeting and interactions between the two giants prompted Meerchandani to pen this book. As she writes, "Watching the two of them interact, I realised that while many around the world have access to the wisdom of the Dalai Lama, Baba’s remained India’s secret treasure. To change that, I decided to produce a photo book." She of course ended up doing a full-fledged biographical memoir. Who is Baba Amte? A karamyogi, a saint, a selfless worker serving humanity? Or a publicity seeker, arrogant and an opportunist as his critics maintain? He may be living like an ascetic but he is not a saint. He doesn’t like being called a saint. His life stories are folklore. The response of any first-time visitor to Baba’s Anandvan or his/her meeting with Baba can be summed up in three words: wonder, awe and fascination. "A combination of dreamer and achiever, Baba Amte defies definition", writes Mirchandani. Baba Amte is too earthy to be a saint. His humanitarian works are too soul-stirring to be branded as something to seek publicity. At times he is too child-like in his behaviour, which goes to show he is after all human too. Baba gravitates towards the un-people—the destitute, the forgotten and the silenced. That makes him extraordinary. Baba is down-to-earth and hates being compared to Gandhiji or a saint. As he says, he is simply a "mechanic with an oilcan who offers help when he sees a breakdown." Baba seems to fit in Albert Camus’ description of a leader: "Don’t walk behind me. I may not lead. Don’t walk in front of me. I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend." This well-researched book is divided into four parts representing four phases of Baba’s life and work. Part one sketches out the making of Baba Amte. Parts two and three are an evaluation of Baba’s legacy. Finally, Mirchandani discusses Baba’s vision of India. They say, morning shows the day. This is quite apt in the case of Baba Amte. Despite having spent his childhood in the lap of luxury, Baba chose to fraternise with children of the deprived and the ‘outcast’. He was struck by the world of misery and pain in which the Dalits and the diseased were forced to live in. Baba is not only a born rebel, he is a fearless fighter for justice. One such incident happened way back in the 1940s. When Baba saw a new bride being teased on a train by the British soldiers, he fought with the ‘Tommies’ even though her husband locked himself in the toilet. In saving the honour of the bride Baba suffered grave injuries. This prompted Gandhiji to call him an Abhay Sadhak, a fearless seeker. Baba moved to the quarry land, three kilometres from Warora to set up clinic for leprosy patients. He called this ‘outcast land for outcast people’, full of boulders, roots and creepers and surrounded by panthers, snakes, scorpions and wild boars, Anandvan. Baba moved there with his wife, Sadhana Tai and two toddler sons. His entire possession included one lame cow, a dog and fourteen rupees. He turned that barren land into a thriving settlement with the sweat and toil of leprosy patients. As Baba says, work builds but charity destroys. Baba taught the outcasts about the dignity of labour and to live as human beings. Such was his commitment to serve the leprosy patients that Baba studied how to treat them. During his course at the Calcutta School of Tropical Medicine, he even got himself infected with the dead and live bacilli. This is how he overcame his fear of leprosy. It was his concern for the wretched and his humanitarian empathy blended with Gandhian influence that explains Baba’s extraordinary feats. His wife Sadhana Tai is a woman of indomitable courage and tenacity. Her contribution to Baba’s exemplary mission is no less significant. Baba’s national integration campaigns—Bharat Jodo—in 1985 and 1987 did help rekindle the spirit of communal harmony, but he was not allowed to go to Pakistan as he refused to accept elaborate military protection for himself. The peace mission to Pakistan remains one of his unrealised dreams. Baba’s support for the Narmada Bachao Andolan gave it greater visibility. But it also alienated many of Baba’s admirers. Mirchandani’s book is a valuable addition to the existing literature on Baba Amte. It is not merely a gripping narrative; it is a well-researched work. The only weak aspect of the book is Mirchandani’s near venerative portrayal of Baba and lack of critical analysis of her own.
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