ACHARYA VINOBA BHAVE

• Recently, the Prime Minister paid rich tributes to Acharya VinobaBhave on his birth Anniversary.
• VinayakNarahariBhave was born on 11th September 1895 in Gagode, Bombay Presidency (Maharashtra).
• He was the eldest son of NarahariShambhu Rao and Rukmini Devi.
• Acharya VinobaBhave was a nonviolence activist, freedom activist, social reformer and spiritual teacher.
• Being an avid follower of Mahatma Gandhi, Vinoba upheld his doctrines of non-violence and equality.
• He dedicated his life to serve the poor and the downtrodden, and stood up for their rights.
• Vinoba was the first recipient of the international Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership in 1958.
• He was also conferred with the Bharat Ratna (India’s highest civilian awards) posthumously in 1983.
• Vinoba met Gandhi on 7th June 1916 and took residence at the Ashram.
• Gandhi’s teachings led Bhave to a life of austerity dedicated to improving Indian village life.
• The name Vinoba (a traditional Marathi epithet signifying great respect) was conferred upon him by Mama Phadke, another member of the Ashram.
• On 8th April 1921, Vinoba went to Wardha to take charge of a Gandhi-ashram there under the directives from Gandhi.
• During his stay at Wardha, Bhave also brought out a monthly in Marathi, named, `Maharashtra Dharma’ which consisted of his essays on the Upanishads.

Role in Freedom Struggle:

• He took part in programs of non-cooperation and especially the call for use of Swadeshi goods instead of foreign imports.
• He took up the spinning wheel churning out Khadi and urged others to do so, resulting in mass production of the fabric.
• In 1932, Vinoba was sent to jail for six months to Dhulia as he was accused of conspiracy against British rule.
• During the imprisonment, he explained to fellow prisoners the different subjects of ‘Bhagwad Gita’, in Marathi.
• All the lectures given by him on Gita in Dhulia jail were collected and later published as a book.
• He was also chosen as the first Individual Satyagrahi (an Individual standing up for Truth instead of a collective action) by Gandhi himself.
• He served a five-year prison sentence in the 1940s for leading nonviolent resistance to British rule.
• He was given the honorific title “Acharya” (teacher).

SOURCE: THE HINDU,THE ECONOMIC TIMES,MINT