Dr. Vikas Amte – Pain Friend of Less Fortunate
Magasese Award declared to Dr. Prakash & Dr Mandakini Amte
Geert Wilders: A Friend of America's?
The Enemy of My Enemy is My Friend
When we take a look around us we see lots of people having different type of lifestyle, different economic status and also different types of problems. When our elders start talking about the problems in the society, many a times we are reluctant to pay attention to them.
But here I’m gong to tell you a story of a son whose father has devoted his life for unfortunate people and the son has added new dimensions in the father’s work!
Dr. Vikas - son of Late Baba Amte who is founder of Maharogi Sewa Samiti – an organization for leprosy patients! 35 years ago Dr. Vikas started working in Anandwan the leprosy colony as a doctor. He and his brother Dr. Prakash grew up in a leprosy colony when there was no proper medicine available to cure leprosy which is considered as highly contagious disease! The society was more hateful towards leprosy patients than now. It would be more proper to say that the brothers started their social work since their childhood before they knew that what great thing they are doing!
Dr. Vikas now working as a Secretary of Maharogi Sewa Samiti is exceptional in all his works. He is working there not only as a driver but as a farmer, a truck driver, an engineer, and a mechanic, as a public relation officer, a judge, a co- worker, a singer and what not!! But he calls himself ‘prisoner of the biggest social jail’. He thinks that the organization like Anandwan should end up as people here are forced to live there as society is not ready to accept them… Society has thrown them out… Isn’t it family’s responsibility to be with each other in bad times of life?
Baba says ‘We use all sorts of waste except waste of time....’ So these thrown out people and thrown out things become assets for Dr. Vikas. He started various projects in Anandwan. He has invented ‘low cost houses’ which has dome shaped roof and white mosaic outside to reflect the severe heat of Vidarbha
Region. He also designed check dams constructed out of all wastes i.e. Waste tires of trucks, cubes made using waste plastic and worked out by thrown out people of the society! These dams are of low height, can be constructed without any special machinery or skill, increase water table around the area, without snatching food and dwelling of tribal, without disturbing the flora and fauna! Isn’t it amazing that a doctor designing houses and check dams considering all related factors!
Not a single droplet of water is wasted in Anandwan. Waste water is collected in a pond and some special kinds of plants are grown in that so as to prevent the surrounding from foul smell. Septic tanks are converted into bio-gas plants. You will not find a single plastic bag whirling around the area as waste plastic is collected and used in cushion s and mattresses. Beautiful handmade Diwali greetings are created here out of all types of wastes.
Dr. Vikas is very cautious about the environment… ‘Vrikshdindi’ a procession of a young plant before plantation during monsoon is one of the special event of Anandwan... A special ‘Rose garden’ is created in the memory of victims of girl child infanticide!
His mind is always busy in thinking various projects though he seems kidding with a small girl playing around or discussing with the visitors!
He does not the inmates to be pitiable… he wants them to be independent and to live with dignity as his father says ‘one can live without charity but how can one live without dignity?’ So it was one of his ideas to shape up a new platform for the artists of Anandwan. Swaranandwan Orchestra – in which we can watch the graceful dances, we hear beautiful songs, mimicry, jokes and all by ill cited, blind, deaf and dumb, cured leprosy patients… We people have given them pain and hate...made them feel miserable but they return mere pleasure and love. They give us a new motivation to live life in spite of all adversities. Dr. Vikas's loving nature has changed their lives. Now they are not dependent, they bring funds for Anandwan instead...
Two years back whole Maharashtra was stunned by the serial suicides of farmer. Baba was very disturbed. Dr. Vikas assured him to do something in this regard. He shifted to Zari – a small village in Mulgavan Taluka of Yavatmal district in Maharashtra. 100 selected co-workers from Anandwan joined him. They were his ‘Land Army’. All of them started staying in tents with hardly any facilities. The region lacks water... They didn’t have even water for drinking! They started convincing farmers not to grow cotton in their field. They constructed check dams at proper places to increase water table... constructed farm-ponds to collect rain water... distributed vegetable seeds to farmers. And now people there started growing vegetables and started earning… situation is changing...! But before this he was blamed by the local leaders. Even he faced deadly attack by some people. He considers himself as a soldier... he cannot turn back! He says ‘I’m not working for them... I’m working with them.
Hats off to Dr, Vikas – the real friend of less fortunate!!
