Gadge Baba, the 19th century folk hero who inspired people with his philosophy of self-reliance and community-sharing, would have been delighted at the changes that are being wrought in the villages of Maharashtra. Clean surroundings, self-help schemes, use of fuel-saving devices, increased environmental awareness and the strengthening of
women's groups are just some of them.
Gadge Baba was born in 1876 in a washerman's family in Amravati, in northeastern Maharashtra.