New Delhi - Noted Indian social activist Baba Amte, who devoted his life to the care and rehabilitation of leprosy patients, died in the country's western state of Maharashtra on Saturday. He was 94. Baba Amte, whose real name was Murlidhar Devidas Amte, was suffering from blood cancer and breathed his last at his Anandwan Ashram hermitage in the eastern Chandrapur district. He is survived by two sons.
Among the country's most revered social leaders, Amte was influenced by Gandhian values and spent his entire life working to dispel prejudice against leprosy patients.
His community development project at Anandwan was recognized and respected worldwide.
Amte won the 1985 Ramon Magsaysay Award for public service for his work on the rehabilitation of Indian leprosy patients and the disabled.
He was a known critic of big dams and fought for rights of tribals and villagers displaced by the construction of large dams on the Narmada river in the region.
Amte also launched the 'Bharat Jodo'(Unite India) movement in 1985 aiming to establish peace and raise environmental awareness in the country.
Indian leaders including President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh condoled Amte's death.
Singh described Amte as a "legend" whose work in uplifting the cause of leprosy patients had put him in a "unique class of great national figures".
"His lifelong struggle to unite people across the length and breadth of the country on national and Gandhian lines and to eliminate all forms of discrimination and bias truly make him a saint of our times," Singh said.
