NEW DELHI: It was a chance encounter with a leprosy patient, in the last stages of the disease, lying huddled in a bundle of rags and exposed to the rain, that became a turning point in the life of Baba Amte and initiated him into the service of leprosy patients.

Noted social activist and Magsaysay award winner Baba Amte, who died at his 'Anandvan' ashram in Chandrapur district of Maharashtra was revered as a saint and the messiah by leprosy-affected people.

One of the country's most respected social leaders, Amte devoted his life to the care and rehabilitation of leprosy patients. Terrified of being infected with the disease and to see the man with no fingers and maggots crawling on him, Amte ran home.

But a young Amte began feeling guilty about leaving the man out in the rain and forced himself to return to feed the man. He also put up a bamboo shed to protect him against the rain. The man, Tulshiram, died under Amte's care and the episode changed the life of the social activist. "I have never been frightened of anything.

Because I fought British tommies to save the honour of an Indian lady, Gandhiji called me 'Abhay Sadhak', a fearless seeker of truth ... But the same person who fought goondas and British bandits quivered in fright when he saw the living corpse of Tulshiram, no fingers, no clothes, with maggots all over," Amte had said, recalling the incident.

President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh condoled the death describing him as a "saint" and a "Gandhian of our times" who committed his life to the welfare of the destitutes. Recipient of Padma Vibhushan and numerous other awards, Murlidhar Devidas alias Baba Amte was known for simple living, high values and selfless service.

He once allowed bacilli from a leprosy patient to be injected into him for further tests. Mahatma Gandhi described him as 'abhaysadhak'(fearless). Born on December 26, 1914 in Wardha district of Maharashtra, Amte trained as a lawyer and participated in the freedom struggle against the British Empire.

He spent time at Mahatma Gandhi's ashram in Sevagram and was also influenced by Vinoba Bhave, Rabindranath Tagore, and Sane Guruji.