Amargeet

MURLIDHAR DEVIDAS AAMTE WAS BORN TO A RICH LANDLORD. HE WAS BASICALLY OF VERY AGGRESSIVE AND REVOLUTIONARY NATURE. HE WANTED TO LIVE HIS LIFE FULLY. BUT VERY SOON HE REALISED THE FACT THAT HIS LIFE WAS NOT FOR HIS OWN HAPPINESS. IT WAS FOR OTHERS, OTHERWISE THE RICHES, THE PROSPERITY, THE INTELLIGENCE THAT HE POSSESSED WOULD ALL BE IN VAIN. THIS THOUGHT GAVE RISE TO THE COLONY ESTABLISHED FOR THE SURVIVAL OF THE PATIENTS SURVIVING WITH LEPROSY. THE NEXT STEP WAS THE `BHARAT JODO ABHIYAN` TO SPONSOR THE NATIONAL INTEGRITY AND HARMONY BETWEEN THE NORTH AND THE SOUTH; THE EAST AND THE WEST. THE NEXT PROGRAMME ON HIS AGENDA WAS THE STAY IN THE NARMADA BASINS FOR OVER A PERIOD OF 10 YEARS. HE SUPPORTED THE FAMILIES AFFECTED BY THEIR DISPLACEMENT THROUGH THE HANDS OF THE GOVERNMENT ITSELF IN THE NAME OF ENVIRONMENT. IT WAS DURING THIS PERIOD THAT HE STARTED SUFFERING FROM INCURABLE DISEASE OF HIS SPINAL CORD. NOT ONLY BABA, BUT HIS NEXT TWO GENERATIONS HAVE DEVOTED THEIR LIVES IN THE WELL BEING OF THE PEOPLE. TOGETHER, THEY HAVE HELPED THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE IN MANY WAYS, THEY HAVE CHANGED PEOPLE FOR BETTERMENT. NOT ONLY THE EFFORTS OF THESE THREE GENERATIONS HAVE HELPED BUT THEIR WILL POWERS HAVE ALSO HELPED A LOT IN HELPING THESE PEOPLE. THIS AUTOGRAPHY IS ACTUALLY A VERY INFORMAL PICTURE OF BABA; IT INCLUDES MANY SCENES FROM HIS DAY-TO-DAY LIFE, THE INFORMAL MEETINGS AND DISCUSSIONS, THE INTERVIEWS NOT ONLY WITH HIS FAMILY MEMBERS BUT ALSO WITH HIS NEAR AND DEAR ONES. THIS AUTOGRAPHY GIVES JUSTICE TO THE EXTRA-ORDINARY NATURE OF THIS COUPLE, BABA AND HIS WIFE TAI......सधन जमीनदारांच्या घरात जन्माला आलेले मुरलीधर देवीदास आमटे हे स्वभावत: बंडखोर वृत्तीचे, आयुष्य भरभरून जगण्याची इच्छा असलेले! पण आयुष्यात फार लवकर एका गोष्टीची त्यांना तीव्रतेने जाणीव झाली; आपल्याला जगायचंय ते स्वत:साठी नाही, तर दुस-यांसाठी. अन्यथा हे सारं वैभव, हा मानसन्मान, ही बुद्धिधमत्ता... हे सगळं फोल, तकलादू, बेगडी ठरेल. ...मग सुरुवात झाली ती आनंदवनात कुष्ठरुग्णांसाठी उभारलेल्या वसाहतीने. त्यानंतर राष्ट्रीय एकात्मता आणि सलोखा यांचा पुरस्कार करण्यासाठी भारताच्या पूर्व-पश्चिम आणि उत्तर-दक्षिण टोकांना जवळ आणणारं भारत जोडो अभियान झालं. त्यापुढचं पाऊल म्हणजे बाबांचं नर्मदा खो-यातील दहा वर्षांचं प्रदीर्घ वास्तव्य. सरकारने पर्यावरणाचा योजनाबद्ध विनाश चालविला होता, त्यामुळे होरपळून निघणा-या कुटुंबांच्या पाठीशी, बाबा उभे राहिले. हे सर्व करीत असताना पाठीच्या कण्याच्या असाध्य व्याधीने त्यांच्या शरीराला ग्रासून टाकले होते. बाबांच्या ध्येयस्वप्नांची व्याप्ती किती मोठी आहे, याचं तळपतं उदाहरण म्हणजे बाब