Vinoba Bhave and the Bhoodan Movement

In 1916 Bhave joined Gandhi’s ashram (ascetic community) at Sabarmati, near Ahmedabad. Devoting himself wholly to Gandhi’s teachings and demonstrating a pureness of spirit, he earned recognition as an outstanding disciple. In 1921 Gandhi sent Bhave to Wardha, a rural area in central India, to establish a new ashram called Sevagram. 

Bhave remained in Wardha until 1951, immersing himself in scriptural study, teaching and “constructive work” associated with Gandhi’s program to build economic self-reliance among villages. During these years he was also jailed several times for his participation in Gandhi’s civil disobedience actions against British colonial rule, as well as Britain’s efforts to mobilize India for World War II. 

When Gandhi was assassinated in 1948 -- less than a year after India gained its independence – Bhave and other disciples continued the work of building a sarvodaya society. As the post-colonial era began, communist-led peasant movements were demanding land reforms to address social and economic inequalities entrenched by centuries of feudalism, a system that concentrated land ownership in the hands of a small nobility, while oppressing and exploiting lower-class vassals. Although the government introduced various policies to redistribute land, Bhave did not believe an egalitarian society could be achieved through legislation. Rather, he contended, real social and economic progress would require a change of heart, whereby people were inspired to sacrifice a share of their possessions out of love for their fellow man. 

Bhave sought to inculcate this spirit of generosity through the Bhoodan Movement. In 1951 he embarked on what became a 13-year padayatra (walking pilgrimage), traveling from village to village to campaign for land donations. Hundreds of thousands of landowners responded, giving up more than 4 million acres. Although the movement fell short of its goal of transferring 50 million acres to formerly landless people for agricultural cultivation, it remains a powerful demonstration of the potential to galvanize non-violent social transformation through selfless giving.

Bhave lived out the last years of his life in meditation, contemplation and prayer at Brahma Vidya Mandir, a women-run ashram that he established in 1959. Following his death in 1982 he was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honor.

Contributors: Maha Tazi, Erin Brown