Vinoba Bhave, the Walking Saint who ‘talked’ bandits of Madhya Pradesh into surrendering https://theprint.in/theprint-profile/vinoba-bhave-the-walking-saint-who-talked-bandits-of-madhya-pradesh-into-surrendering/320600/
15 November, 2019
Vinoba Bhave, called the first Satyagrahi of India's freedom movement, envisioned a non-violent and equal social order across India’s landscape.
Lovingly called ‘Acharya’ (Sanskrit for teacher) by his disciples, Bhave slowly and steadily became the torchbearer of Gandhi’s vision for a Sarvodaya social order, according to which, Gandhi aimed at a “stateless society which was devoted to the welfare of all and founded on non-violence, equality and decentralization”. Bhave sought to achieve this Sarvodaya social order one footstep at a time.
Extract: -- From Moved by Love, Memoirs of Vinobha Bhave
Was it a Dream, What I Saw in Madhya Pradesh
In this part of Madhya Pradesh the ravines around the Chambal River were infested by dacoits, armed robbers, some of them followers of the rebel leader Man Singh. My peace campaign in the area had a totally unexpected outcome. Non- violence is a spiritual force of great power. Mahatma Gandhi used it in the political field, and later it has been used in the social and economic field. Now I tried it out in what is commonly called the dacoit region. Something new happened which had never happened before. Hard hearts were melted, the whole atmosphere was saturated with the spirit of God. People for whom dacoity had become a means of livelihood repented, came to me completely transformed, and abandoned their former ways. One can only conclude that God had penetrated their hearts with His divine radiance. As for me, I can only feel profoundly thankful to that Lord of All, in whom I put my trust as I try to walk in the way of truth, love and compassion.
While I was still in Kashmir Tahsildar Singh, the son of dacoit leader Man Singh, wrote to me from jail. He had been condemned to death and he wanted the privilege of seeing me before he was hanged. At the time I had with me in my party General Yadunath Singh who comes from this same area, and I asked him to go and see Tahsildar Singh on my behalf. Tahsildar Singh told him of his desire that I should visit the Chambal ravines and meet his dacoit comrades. I went there in response to his request, and spoke to the people about my desire to show affection, and I appealed to the robber gangs to come to me as their friend. I assured them that they would be treated justly, without brutality, and that their families would not suffer.
By the grace of God, twenty of them came to me at Kaneragram on the nineteenth of May (1960). They laid down their guns-- costly weapons, equipped with powerful gunsights--and surrendered themselves to me. Then they met their wives and children, and we went with them to the jail, where they gave themselves up. They will reap the fruit of their misdeeds, but they will have earned the forgiveness of God. A way has been opened.