‘Thinker par excellence’: PM Modi pays tributes to social reformer Acharya Vinoba Bhave

Vinoba Bhave, remembered as a great scholar-saint, was a 20th-century Gandhian thinker who advocated for non-violence and human rights. Often called Acharya (the Sanskrit term for ‘teacher’), he is best known for the Bhoodan Movement or ‘Bloodless Revolution’, a voluntary land reform movement.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday paid his tributes to social reformer Vinayak Narahari Bhave, better known as Acharya Vinoba Bhave, on the latter's 126th birth anniversary. Taking to his official account on Twitter, the Prime Minister lauded the scholar-saint for his “commitment to India's freedom” and for being a “firm believer in non-violence”. Modi, in his tribute, also mentioned that Mahatma Gandhi had once referred to Acharya Vinoba Bhave as someone who was “absolutely against untouchability.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid his tributes to the great social reformer Acharya Vinoba Bhave on his birth anniversary (File Photo)

“Mahatma Gandhi described him as someone who was absolutely against untouchability, unwavering in his commitment to India's freedom and a firm believer in non-violence as well as constructive work,” the Prime Minister wrote in his tweet. “He was a thinker par excellence.”

Vinoba Bhave, remembered as a great scholar-saint, was a 20th-century Gandhian thinker who advocated for non-violence and human rights. Often called Acharya (the Sanskrit term for ‘teacher’), he is best known for the Bhoodan Movement or ‘Bloodless Revolution’, a voluntary land reform movement at the Pochampally village, now in Telangana. He also translated the Gita into the Marathi language and termed it ‘Geetai’, meaning ‘Mother Geeta’ in the vernacular.

Vinoba Bhave was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi's speech at the Benaras College during the heydays of the freedom struggle. He later exchanged letters with Gandhi, following which the Mahatma asked him to come to the Kochrab Ashram in Ahmedabad for a personal meeting. Bhave later participated in several activities at Gandhi's ashram, which included teaching, studying, spinning khadi, and working for the welfare of village industries and the state of education in the country, along with other socio-political issues.

On the occasion of his 126th birth anniversary, Films Division paid a tribute to Acharya Vinoba Bhave by screeing a 47-minute biopic, titled ‘Vinoba Bhave, the Man’ on the FD website and the YouTube channel.