Maharashtra has a great tradition of religious philosphers and social reformers for the last many centuries. Gadge Baba (1876-1956) truly carried forward  the great tradition of Sant Tukaram and Ekanath.

Gadge Baba whose real name was Debuji was born in the community of washermen  in Shengaon,  near Amravati in Maharashtra.  His early life was rather in the conventional  mould, helping  his  mother  in  eking  out a  living by cattleherding  and later on graduating to farming. As was the practice those, days, he entered family life at an early age. The turning point in his life came   through   a   chance   encounter   with   an unknown wandering   ascetic. What  transpired between  them  was  like  a revealation to Debuji and led him to begin a new epoch in his life. He quietly left home and embarked upon a wandering  career  touching  the dwellings  of  the poor  and  grief-stricken,  and  bringing  solace  to their lives.

A simple, practical man, his teachings were simple for even an illiterate person to grasp their significance. Bhajans (devotional songs) and kirtans (a sermon-like discourse given  by  a learned person) were used by him to reach out to the masses, and he converted these traditional formats of devotional expression into powerful tools of mass communication through which he would wage battles against the various ills of the society. The way Gadge Baba, himself an illiterate, held the masses spellbound with his oratory, was amazing. His words were so powerful that they left lasting impressions in the minds of the listeners and changed their lives permanently. He spoke against  the  rigidities  of the caste system, superstitious beliefs, the perils of alcoholism and spread the message of cleanliness and personal hygiene. So dedicated was he, that the practice of Gadge Baba carrying a broom, became a symbol of his message to sweep away all social evils.

He gathered around him a group of committed workers and constructed bathing ghats, dharmasalas (in providing free shelter), homes for the blind and disabled, schools, hostels for children and youth from the downtrodden communities, old-age homes and even sheds for animals grown old and disabled. The First Day Cover carries depictions of various contribution s of the saint including the Ghat constructed on river Puma at Runmochan in Maharashtra.

After leaving his home in 1905, for well over fifty years Gadge Baba kept on moving  from village to village and from town to town rendering service to the needy. On 20th December, 1956 the 'wandering Saint' died at the ripe age of eighty, leaving vivid memories in the hearts of thousands of his country men in whose lives he brought hope and cheer.

The Department of Posts is happy to issue this postage stamp to commemorate the death anniversary of Gadge Baba.

Source : Information Folder issued by Indian Posts & Telegraph Department, Government of India