Mandakini Amte popularly known as Manda Amte is a medical doctor and social worker from Maharashtra, India. She along with her husband, Dr. Prakash Amte were awarded the Magsaysay Award for 'Community Leadership' in 2008 for their philanthropic work in the form of the Lok Biradari Prakalp amongst the Madia Gonds in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra and the neighbouring states of Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. She is the daughter-in-law of Baba Amte.
Mandakini Amte was born as Mandakini Deshpande in a family with staunch VHP ( Vishva Hindu Parishad ) background. Her father was a hard-core RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) man. She had completed her MBBS from Nagpur & later decided to do her post-graduation in Anesthesia. Prakash, her future husband, was a surgeon and that’s how they met. They worked together in the same operation theatre. Their values matched and they gelled well.
Her father was dead opposed to her marriage with Dr. Prakash Amte as he feared that it meant, she would have to live among lepers, which was a taboo then. Baba Amte called her over to Anandwan and asked if she was ready to live with Dr. Prakash in a jungle for the rest of her life. When she assured Baba Amte, consent to marriage was given & they got married.
No comments:
Post a Comment