Remembering Vinoba Bhave: How One Invite From Mahatma Gandhi Took Him to Ahmedabad

Acharya Vinoba Bhave, one of the greatest freedom fighters and social workers, fought for the poor, following the path by Mahatma Gandhi of truth and non-violence.

Vinoba, a well-known social reformer and a disciple of Gandhi Ji, contributed to many social reforms like the Bhoodan movement of Maharashtra.

Today, on the death anniversary of the greatest freedom fighter, the nation remembers his contribution to the Indian freedom struggle.

Born on September 11, 1895, in a Chitpav Brahmin family in Gagoda village of Konkan, Maharashtra, Vinayak Narhari Bhave was a powerhouse of knowledge.

Vinoba’s mother, Rukmini Devi, was a religious woman, and he was deeply influenced by her.

Apart from listening to the stories of Guru Ramdas, Saint Dnyaneshwar, Tukaram, Namdev, and Shankaracharya, he also studied religious texts like Ramayana, Mahabharata, and Upanishads.

Since childhood, Vinoba was inclined towards spirituality. When he was in high school, Vinoba left for the Himalayas on a spiritual journey. Vinoba stayed in Kashi for a long time in search of knowledge.

Meanwhile, after reading about Gandhiji in the newspapers, he was deeply influenced by the ideas of Gandhiji and made him his political and spiritual guide.

It is said that he wrote a letter to Gandhiji, and on receiving the invitation, he immediately left for Ahmedabad. Vinoba met Gandhiji on June 7, 1916. It was this meeting that made both of them friends for life. After meeting Gandhiji, he became aware of finding the right path. The relation between teacher-disciple became stronger and together they carried out many movements leading up to India’s independence.

Vinoba continued to carry forward Gandhiji’s legacy after his death. The Bhoodan movement in Maharashtra in 1951 is known as his greatest contribution.

In the last days, Vinoba had given up food and water and adopted Samadhi Maran, which is also called Santhara in Jainism. He breathed his last on November 15, 1982. The then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had postponed her visit to Moscow to attend his funeral ceremony.

Vinoba was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1958. The very next year after his death, he was awarded the Bharat Ratna, the country’s highest civilian honour. In his lifetime, he wrote many books, but the adaptation of Shrimad Bhagvat Geeta in the Marathi language is very famous, which he had specially written for his mother.

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