Participants visit Anandvan - The Forest of Bliss
October 15, 2007

SPJIMR students visited Anandvan with the objective of developing social consciousness and studying the relevance of management practices in the social sector. The students were guided by Prof. Nirja Mattoo, chairperson DOCC, who carries with her an invaluable experience of 20 years in the field of development, voluntary action and corporate citizenship. The Centre for Development o f Corporate Citizenship (DOCC) was established at the institute in 2001 to hone the management skills of future leaders in the social sector and to create awareness amongst the participants about the need to contribute to the society. The trip to Anandvan was an endeavour to focus on real-world issues through out-of-classroom learning.

"I have sought my soul, my soul I could not see, I have sought my God, my God eluded me, I sought my brother and I got all the three…”

With these words, the enigmatic Baba Amte gave a glimpse of his noble soul. It reflected the selflessness with which he has devoted his entire life to the care and rehabilitation of leprosy patients, the physically disabled, the tribals and the homeless. With his indefatigable energy and dedication, Baba serves as a source of inspiration, empowering the 2500 strong community at his aptly titled path-breaking development project 'Anandvan - The Forest of Bliss'.

As a part of the DOCC project, the students studied various selfsustaining units like the inhouse arts and crafts setup, plastic recycling, eco-friendly buildings, water management, forestry and other environmental projects carried out at Anandvan, the headquarters of Baba's Maharogi Sewa Samiti. The students were also awed by a live performance by the immensely talented physically challenged members of Anandvan's orchestra, Swaranandvan.

Speaking to the students, Baba stressed on the need of young leaders to gain more exposure by working at the grass root level and to develop empathy towards the problems of the people. "The illiterate literates of the country have kept the society alive", he said. Rousing the social consciousness of the students, he gave a call to go back to the villages and make ‘deeds’and not ‘words’ as their focus. "The world is safe in the breath of the youth", said Baba Amte and stirred the hearts and fired the minds of the spellbound students. His words urged them to listen to the dictates of their conscience and inspired them to work 'with' the people and not 'for' the people.