Freeindia > Biographies > Freedom Fighters > Acharya Vinoba Bhave
Vinayak Narahari Bhave, commonly known as Vinoba, was born at Ganoda in
Maharasthtra, on11 September, 1895. Educated at Baroda in the Government High School, he was a brilliant student, but he soon lost interest in conventional studies. He passed the
Matriculation examination in 1913 and was due to appear for the intermediate examination 1916for which he had to go to Bombay. Instead of going to Bombay, he detrained at Surat and proceeded to Banaras, where he studied Sanskrit and became proficient in all Hindu scriptural books. He was a self-taught multi linguist.
After Gandhiji's return from South Africa early in 1915, Vinoba recognised in him the indredmost of spirits
and requested him to adopt himself as his spiritual son in 1916. In 1921, Jamnalal Bajaj requested Gandhiji to give him his best and most trusted lieutenant at Sabarmatiu Ashram to be sent to Wardha to start a similar Ashram. Gandhiji sent Vinoba. Jamnalal placed his whole family under his charge. Speaking about Viboba, Gandhiji said, 'He is one of the Ashram's rare pearls-one of those who have come not to be blessed but to bless, not to receive but to give.'
Vinoba lived in accordance with the eleven rows, included in the Gandhian daily prayer viz, non-violence, truthfulness, absolute honesty, chastity, poverty, annual work, temperance, fearlessness, respect for all religions, independence in the matter of money and non-recognition of caste distinctions. At the Ashram, he took p scavenging work and had 'no trace of untouchability left in his heart'.
He was one of the moving spirits of the Nagpur Flag Satyagraha, his companions being Jamnalal Bajaj, Bhagwan Deen and Nilkanthrao Deshmukh. In 1924, Gandhijisent Vinoba to Guruvvayur (Kerala) to participate in the Harijan Temple Entry Satyagraha. He participated in the famous Dandi March for Salt Satyagraha in 1930, for which he was again sent to prison.
In April, 1951, he started the Bhoodan Movement, with a view to bringing out fundamental social and
economic changes in society by peaceful means. The movement began by way of gifts of land to be distributed among the landless, later developing into voluntary renunciation of ownership of land in favour of village communities-Gramdan. More than four million acres of land were collected in Bhoodan and 18,000 villages had been declared Gramdan or common ownership within 15 years of the launching of the movement.
Vinoba wanted each village to be self-sufficient in food and clothing. His creed was, 'Now that political freedom has been attained, we have to work for the establishment of equality I have called that Sarvodaya. IT is for the establishment of this that I am going from village to village. '
On the pattern of Mahatma Gandhi's Ashram at Sabarmti, Acharya Vinoba Bhave started his
own Ashram at Paunar, near Wardha, where he continued to stay till his death on 15thth Nov. 1982.(The above text is based on material published elsewhere and/or supplied by the sponsors).
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