Baba Amte passes away

Noted social activist and Magsaysay award winner Murlidhar Devidas Amte alias Baba Amte passed away in Anandwan ashram in Chandrapur district of Maharashtra on Saturday, February 9th, 2008. He was 94.

Baba Amte passed away at 4:15 am, his son Dr Vikas told PTI.

One of the country's most respected social leaders, Amte devoted his life to the care and rehabilitation of leprosy patients.

He is survived by two sons.

Baba Amte won numerous awards during his life, including Padma Shree (1971) and Padma Vibhushan (1986), most notably the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service in 1985. He was chosen for his work-oriented rehabilitation of Indian leprosy patients and other handicapped outcasts.

In 1999, he was awarded the Gandhi Peace Prize for his exemplary work for treatment and rehabilitation of leprosy patients and his concept of the "Shramik Vidyapeeth" (Workers' University) where patients and volunteers work together.

All monetary proceeds from of his awards were used for his social projects.

Source: Rediff , Wikipedia