This story is about gaining knowledge, about enlightenment. We all know that enlightenment means gaining greater knowledge and understanding about a particular subject or area. So, this is my story of a journey towards enlightening myself about a place that I was ignorant about despite it being in my own hometown. The place I'm going to talk about is Anandwan, situated in the Chandrapur district of Maharashtra.
I hail from Warora, a place adjacent to Anandwan, and many people call Anandwan a part of Warora. In my childhood, I visited Anandwan only once, when I was some 11-12 years old. I knew little about this place despite living here for almost 13 years.
So, my journey towards getting to know more about this place started when my professor asked me about my research topic for my master's. I had previously selected a topic on women surrounding their marriage, but that got rejected because my professor thought it was too broad. So, in a limited amount of time to think of another topic, I took the name of Anandwan. I told her that I wanted to research the lived experiences of women who have suffered from leprosy. My professor liked the idea of me researching such a great and well-known organization. She further asked me about Anandwan and its functioning as I lived nearby, and in my ignorance, I told her not that much happens in Anandwan; people just visit there as a tourist place.
Later that day, I called a couple of my friends and asked them about Anandwan as I wanted to get permission from its authority to do research. While talking to them, I got to know the great work Anandwan is still doing, and that too with such great efficiency. I immediately regretted for misrepresenting the place I come from. In no time, I wrote a mail to my professor conveying to her that I misrepresented Anandwan due to my ignorance and lack of knowledge and reading on it. Afterward, I searched for their website and read everything that was available on it. After reading all the stuff, I got more curious to know about it and see it from close. As I was done skimming and reading the content on the website, I wrote an email to Anandwan, asking them for permission to do my research on the lived experiences of women suffering from leprosy in the Anandwan region. I didn't get any reply from them for almost a week. But I didn't lose hope and kept trying, and finally, I called them on an available number. That number wasn't picked up by anyone 3-4 times, and when I was about to lose hope, I decided to try calling for the one last time. When I did, someone from the Anandwan staff picked up my call and told me that they received my mail and I can do my research there. He then connected me with the other staff whom I met in their Pune branch office and explained why I was interested in doing research on Anandwan.
The depth of this encounter hit me hard when Rohan Gawali, one of the staff members, shared a thought of Dr. Prakash Amte. Dr. Amte, the backbone of the organization, has a distinctive take on publicity, one that sets Anandwan apart. Unlike many, he doesn't endorse the idea of widespread advertising. His rationale, as Rohan explained, is simple yet profoundly touching. For Dr. Prakash Amte, the real triumph of Anandwan doesn't lie in gaining widespread fame. He envisions true success when Anandwan can shut its doors. His vision goes beyond mere statistics—it hinges on the day leprosy is eradicated, not just from the bodies of the afflicted, but also from the societal mindset tangled in prejudices and biases against this disease.
He dreams of a future where every healed patient reunites with their families, embraced with dignity and respect. This, he believes, is the day to eagerly anticipate—the day when Anandwan can close its doors because the mission is accomplished. It's a day when the dark shadows of stigma and bias surrounding leprosy have faded, allowing the cured individuals to return home as esteemed members of society.
After hearing this thought, I was so firm that I want to do research on this place as I really wanted to know more about it as well as its work and also wanted to challenge my ignorance due to which I misrepresented a place that meant and still means the world to many people, especially to the people whose world gets crashed due to the disease of leprosy.
During my Diwali vacations, I decided to visit Anandwan multiple times to just observe and get to know things better to write my research proposal. On my first visit, I met one of the main female staff, Sarika Tai. She was so humble, kind, and patient while listening to me. She explained to me the workings of Anandwan and its various ongoing projects. She then gave me two books to read to build my initial knowledge, and I bought one more book from their selling center. She asked me to visit after 2 days so that she could arrange me a guide who could show me around the Anandwan.
I took this two-day buffer period as an opportunity to read and complete one of the books. I decided to read the autobiography of Baba. This book had such strong incidences mentioned in it that shook my soul and made me want to read even more. After completing the book, I had tears in my eyes. The book was emotionally heavy for me. Knowing that all these things happened in the land I live in currently and that too by a person from this very same place, gave me a kind of respect and mixed emotions about the whole story of Anandwan. The day I completed the book was the day I woke multiple times that night and found myself recalling the incidents I read in the book.
After two days, I went to Anandwan and met my guide, Shiv sir. He welcomed me very warmly and introduced me to other people sitting in his office. Without wasting any further time, we commenced our journey. He first took me to a place where an old man and a woman lived; both of them were carvers. The place was full of wooden objects made by this couple. Both of them were leprosy patients and were rehabilitated in this place, and they started this unit where they made hundreds of objects from wood. The man there then showed me some objects that required one to know physics to make them. He was not much educated and barely knew anything about physics, but he made those objects out of his experience. After recovering from leprosy, he learned to make these objects, and today, he has his special unit in Anandwan, where he makes these objects, which are given to special guests as an honor.
Next, I saw the building of Tin Can project about which I read in the autobiography of Baba. The Tin Can project was inaugurated and initially funded by a Swiss Ambassador. Here, they mold every type of utensils, cupboards, racks, and even hand-driven tricycles for the differently abled members of their village. We then headed to the handloom unit, where clothes were made. In the early days, Anandwan started using handlooms for making things. Baba Amte, the visionary behind Anandwan, dreamed of the place being self-sufficient. The handlooms helped them produce gauze, bandages for the hospital, and clothes for the people living there. They also have a section where women do embroidery on saranjees and dupattas. Another part of Anandwan turns old clothes into bags and handbags. The stuff they make is fantastic, with excellent quality and designs.
After this, we went to a department where a man had made sketches of great personalities out of different types of wood by cutting them into thin slices. It was so miraculous to see that this kind of art does exist. We also went to a big hall named Swaranandan, where leprosy-cured people were performing on different types of instruments. Some didn't have their hand, so they were using their legs to play that. Some were blind and playing harmonium. Outside of it, I met a lady making beautiful greeting cards using both legs as she didn't have her hands. She was doing some kind of embroidery on that greeting. For me, just seeing her doing that thing filled my heart with a lot of emotions: respect on the one hand and inspiration on the other.
Nextly, we saw, Muktangan. Muktangan Anganwadi was created to support the overall health and development of children, both physically and mentally. It stands out as a unique initiative because it's not just a play school – it's also a daycare and wellness center specifically designed for the children of individuals with disabilities. The funding for Muktangan came from the generous grant provided by the renowned Marathi writer, P.L. Deshpande.
After this, we went to see the “Aapulki" unit. It is a residential area for the rehabilitation of women cured of leprosy. This place was something else for me. I don't know what emotions I felt there. But I can say that my heart was full like never before. My guide introduced me to the women residents living there. All the women were so welcoming and loving. They carried this huge and gentle smile on their face. On their face, I saw more than just women. They were a walking story of bravery. They were a cantonment of sadness and grief from the past but carried a great gratitude for the life they had in this place. They were full of humility and love. I know that if I ever get a chance to talk to them and get to know about them, they will be one of the best women I will ever meet in my life. Some old women looked at me with a big smile and gently said, "Please come to meet us and talk to us; we will love it." Hearing this sentence made me happy that they accepted me as a small part of their lives even though I had just met them. But somewhere, I felt the loneliness in their voice. The loneliness that comes when even your loved ones abandon you at your worst. Loneliness that comes when, at the end of the day, you have no one but yourself by your side.
I also visited the main hospital where leprosy patients were being treated. Dr. Pole was the head doctor there, taking care of the main cases. He told me how his patients still face discrimination outside Anandwan. How big hospitals don't cooperate when it comes to admitting a patient with leprosy, and how the own family of the patient shies away from taking back a cured leprosy patient due to their preconceived false notions. He shared many stories and instances from his experiences with curing his patients. In this hospital, I also met two young physiotherapists who were working there. It felt good to see young people working there for a cause.
Our next visit was to Sanshiniketan. It was initially built with the help of a grant given by a foreigner named Tornowsky. Sandhiniketan offers courses like tailoring, fashion designing, wiring, welding, weaving, printing, leather works, housekeeping, medical assistance, caregiving, handicrafts, etc., to make people self-sufficient and economically independent. Here, I met deaf and mute students who were learning computer skills. As they couldn't hear what I was saying and I couldn't understand their sign language, one of those children took out a copy and a pen and asked me to write my name, and in this way, we conversed a little. During this conversation, the whole class had encircled me to see what I was writing. My guide helped me translate what these children were saying and also told them what I wanted to say. At the end of this meeting, I learned to say "Thank you" and "Nice to meet you" in sign language. We then went to the pottery department, where two boys were taking care of that room. They were also deaf and mute, so I could converse with the limited sign language I had just learned.
Here, I also got to visit deaf, mute, and blind schools for primary children and got to interact with the principals of these schools. Here, children roamed freely even though they couldn't see. They sang the beautiful harmony through their expressions even though they couldn't talk or hear. These children gave me a lot of things and learnings, even without adequately interacting with me.
Lastly, I would like to share my experience of visiting the Samadhi of baba. When I stood in front of Baba Amte’s mausoleum, my wise guide Shiv sir made a touching statement about Baba’s final resting place—a decision that coincided with profound biological and philosophical wisdom. Being farsighted in his life and beyond, Baba Amte had chosen not to cremate his body. He believed that in the act of cremation, we were using wood that could feed the cooking fire for 10,000 hungry people. Instead, Baba chose the funeral, guided by a vision of compassion that extended beyond the realms of life and death. In his own words, he expressed, "Let me be of use even after I'm gone. As my earthly vessel transforms, let it nourish the small creatures and contribute to the cycle of life. May I become the sustenance for the thriving ecosystem and eventually transform into the very soil that nurtures life anew." This choice of Baba carries the poignant message that life is a connecting fabric, and that our lives can serve a purpose beyond our individual journeys even in death.
Here, Shiv sir also told me the touching conversation between Baba and the leper that further illuminates the deep philosophy that permeates Anandwan. When the leper asked, “what about the fate of people like us after we die?”. As he believed that no one will come to pay flowers on their grave. Baba replied by promising constant companionship. "Let us plant a tree near your resting-place and as it blossoms into a magnificent tree, it will shower you with its flowers" In this simple yet profound gesture, Baba Amte weaves a story of relationship—a reminder that even in death, our essence is part of life’s larger symphony.
I believe, at its core, Anandwan is a place where people find true happiness—a paradise where individuals redefine who they are, moving beyond the challenges of the illness that once had tried to defeat them. The stories of these individuals resonate with a shared determination to embrace life with joy, overcoming the difficulties of leprosy with a sense of dignity. My journey of Anandwan wasn't just about recounting experiences; it turned into a personal transformation—an eye-opening adventure uncovering the beauty hidden within ignorance and the strength to accept this ignorance and have the courage to do away with it.
As I ponder upon this changing experience, the words of Helen Keller come to mind: "The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision." Anandwan, thriving with a visionary spirit, stands as proof of humanity's ability to overcome the darkness of ignorance—a profound truth ingrained in every nook and corner of this extraordinary place. Resilience, compassion, and enlightenment form the threads that bind the landscape of Anandwan together, inviting everyone who walks its paths to see the stunning beauty that emerges when humanity realizes its full potential.
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If you want to read and know more about Anandwan, here are some book recommendations:
- Samidha by Sadhana Amte (Translated into English by Shobha pawar)
- Autobiography of Baba by Anita Kainthla
- Journey from Sympathy to empathy by TISS
- Charity destroys, work builds
- Wisdom song: The life of Baba Amte by Neesha Mirchandani
- Baba Amte: A vision of new India by Hans Staffner