Baba Amte's death exposed the hypocrisy of our politicians once again. The rich tributes paid to the Gandhian activist who devoted his life to offering a new hope of life to lepers in his institution ANANDVAN makes one wonder why they did not confer the Bharat Ratna on him during his lifetime. Not that that title can be considered an honour, considering some of its recipients. Amte's achievement is that he attracted new generations of activists to his 'Forest of Bliss'. Among them were physicians, surgeons, engineers, lawyers, journalists, writers, artists, teachers, and students. They were inspired by the results Amte produced while serving the scum of humanity, the discarded, the destitute, the desperate, and the downtrodden. The inmates of Anandvan were once completely ostracized and their lives were worse than the lives of Dalits. Restoring their faith in life and human brotherhood was a miracle in a cynical century. We pay our tribute to Baba Amte and pray that this land will continue to produce as many universal Indians as the global Indians it has begun to boast of.

—Honorary Editor