Sant Gadge Baba: Man With A Big Heart

Our actions, not our caste, nation, or religion of birth, determine who we become. Sant Gadge Baba has set an example of rising above the prejudices of society and in the course of his life, he gained followers such as B.R. Ambedkar and Acharya Atre.

Sant Gadge Baba, source: Pinterest

Uneducated and unbeknownst to what schools had to teach, he knew better than those who claimed professional degrees. He was born on 23rd February 1876 and in the lower-caste community where people worshipped gods like Maraai and Shitala Devi. His birthplace was Shendgaon village located in the Amravati district of Maharashtra. His original name was Debuji Zhingraji Janorkar. He was the only son of his parents. And after his father’s death, he and his mother moved to his maternal uncle’s home. There he became a brilliant herdsman, farmer, singer and a swimmer.

He married Kuntabai and had four children. He was a rebellious man that once when a Saukar came to take over his land, he fought the Saukar and his men on his own. But gradually he got fed up with the materialistic world and left it all behind. And he started wandering from one place to another, visited many pilgrimages and built a better society.

He loved animals and so he never supported any inhumane activities towards them even if he had to face the wrath of his family. He was completely against animal sacrifice and also fought for the widespread notion of untouchability. He was a true social reformer as he taught the importance of cleanliness and hygiene to the masses. He used to carry a broom and starts cleaning the roads and gutters of the villages he visited. He usually wore torn clothes and had a broken pot with him, which incited people to call him Gadge Baba (Gadge- Broken Pot and Baba- Father).

People used to give him money for the contributions he was making to society and he used that money to build dharamshalas, animal shelters, educational institutions, old homes, and food donation centers for the handicapped. He used to inspire people to get educated by giving the example of B.R. Ambedkar. They met frequently to discuss changes that needed to be made in society.

Just like we use social media to communicate with the public, he delivered his speeches in the form of “Kirtans” by bringing light upon virtues like compassion. He also used to refer to Saint Kabir’s Dohas and Saint Tukaram’s Abhanga in his discourses.

Debuji met a spiritual teacher named Meher Baba several times, who said that Debuji was one of his favorite saints and was also on the sixth plane of consciousness. He was described as the greatest servant of the people after Jyotirao Phule.

Gadge Baba left this mortal world behind on 20th December 1956 while he was on his way to Amravati. The government paid him respect by starting the Sant Gadge Baba Gram Swachata Abhiyan project in the year 2000-2001. Moreover, there is also a National Award for Sanitation and Water in his honor.