NAGPUR, Maharashtra (RTT News, NY), February 9, 2008:
Noted social worker and Magsaysay award winner Murlidhar Devidas Amte, fondly known as Baba Amte, died Friday morning at his 'Anandvan' ashram, the abode for leprosy patients in Chandrapur district of the Indian state of Maharashtra.
One of the country's most respected social leaders, the 94-year-old Amte devoted his life to the care and rehabilitation of leprosy patients and is survived by two sons. He passed away at 4:15 AM, his son, Vikas told a news agency.
President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressed their condolences over his death, describing him as a "saint" and a "true Gandhian" who devoted his life to the welfare of the destitute.
"Baba Amte is a great example of a person who committed his life for the welfare of the destitute and needy," President Patil said in her condolence message.
The Prime Minister in his condolence message described Amte as a "legend", and said the Gandhi Peace Prize winner's work for the welfare of leprosy patients puts him in a "unique class of great national figures".
"It is with a deep sense of grief and loss that I heard the demise of Baba Amte. A true Gandhian who worked hard to uphold Gandhian values in their true spirit, Baba Amte became a legend in his own lifetime," the Prime Minister said.
Amte's efforts to unite people on national and Gandhian values and to eliminate all forms of discrimination and bias make him a "saint of our times," Singh added.
The mortal remains of noted social activist will be laid to rest on Sunday morning, family sources said.
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