Unwavering Tireless Damodar Ganesh Bapat

Neither he himself suffered from leprosy nor did he witness any of his near and dear ones undergoing the trauma of this dreaded disease. However, kindled by the spirit of inner voice this healthy man dedicated 46 years of his life to the service of these lepers who were despised and shunned even by their own people. Shri Damodar Ganesh Bapat not only arranged for the healing of their physical wounds but also fought a long battle for their financial independence and acceptance back into society.

Shri Bapat made it possible for these leprosy patients to regain their dignity and lead a self-reliant life at Ashram of Bhartiya Kushta Nivarak Sangh (BKNS) spread over a sprawling campus of 125 acres in Sonthi, district Champa of Chhattisgarh. This modern-day saint was honoured with “Padma Shri” in 2018 for his distinguished service to humanity. Not only his life was an offering but even after his death, he set an example for society by donating his body for medical research. 

Born on 23rd April  1935 in a small village called Pathrot located in Amravati district of Maharashtra, Shri Bapat was a Svayamsevak (Sangh volunteer) since his early childhood days. His father Shri GaneshVinayak Bapat and his mother Shrimati Lakshmi Devi regard the founder of RSS, Dr Hedgewar ji as a divine incarnation because it was he, who has arranged for free lodging, boarding, and education of Shri  Ganesh Vinayak Bapat when he was living in abject poverty. 

The same reverence was there in the heart of Damodar Ganesh Bapat the third child of this couple. After Ganesh completed his B.Com, and when a business could not fascinate him anymore, he joined “Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram” and started to teach children in an out-and-out tribal village named Jashpur.

It was as if Katre ji and Bapat ji were destined to meet. The way Ramkrishna Paramhamsa in Kolkata longed to meet Narendra one day, similar was the plight of Shri Katre guruji, the founder of BKNS, who was managing this ashram for ten years since he contracted leprosy. Bapat ji made the ashram in Champa his home since 1972 when he came to see the Ashram for the first time. With time Katre ji was losing his vigour and vitality and Bapat ji took over the management of Sevasharm and started working towards fulfilling Katre ji’s dream.  

Managing the ashram was not a cakewalk for young Ganesh Bapat ji and there were multiple challenges confronting him at that time. In those days, even the cured leprosy patients were suffering from depression because they considered themselves good for nothing and felt they were a burden to society. Bapat ji nursed the leprosy patients with his own hands to send across the message that leprosy is not proliferated by touching the affected.

He travelled the length and breadth of Bharat (India), not only to raise money for the ashram but also to shatter the myths surrounding this disease with his persistent efforts. For these patients to recover emotionally and mentally as well, a range of activities from growing vegetables to making chalks, to making carpets and ropes was started in the premises of the ashram. Thus earning a living reinvigorated their spirits who once thought themselves to be a liability to the ashram. 

Sudhir Dev ji an RSS pracharak, who has been managing the ashram with Bapat ji for many years now, narrates how Madhav Sagar lake spanning 4 acres is a testimony to the toil and sweat of these patients. Today, with the support of ashram’s inhabitants, 65 acres of land is utilized for agriculture and another 5 acres for horticulture. Farming not only fulfils the needs of the residents but also generates an annual income of thirteen lakh rupees. 

Bapat ji was an able administrator and an astute thinker who continuously looked for ways to help the needy and downtrodden of society. Therefore, as soon as the capability of the Ashram was enhanced he constructed a 20-bed Sant Ghasidas hospital which catered both to tuberculosis and leprosy patients. Regular camps in this hospital perform cataract operations free of cost and so far more than 10000 successful operations have been carried out. A hostel named “Sushil Baal Griha” has also been started for poor tribal boys. 

Bapat ji who lived a simple life and did not care about fame and recognition, on receiving Padma Shri (one of the highest civilian awards in Bharat) said: “My true award is that healthy person who has reunited with his family after receiving treatment in this ashram”.