 Dr. Amte, thanks for coming. I wanted to start with your family. You know, Baba Amte was your father and the very well-known person. Tell us a little bit about him. Actually, my father, he was a landlord. He got influenced with Gandhi's movement, 42 independence movement, and he left everything and came back and settled in a small village in Tendrapur district. And he was a lawyer by profession. But while practicing law, he realized that only the rich person would get the justice, not the poor man. So he left his practice. And then one day, he saw a leprosy patient on the road with a lot of wounds and maggots in there, and he was on the deathbed almost lying on the side of the road. And he got scared. During those days, a leprosy patient in the family was a taboo, so they used to drive him out. Any family, in all of India, and he realized afterwards that if my wife and my son's get leprosy, would I drive him out? He came back again, took him to his house, dressed him. Unfortunately, he died because he was in the last stage. And then he took a decision to start a leprosyrium in 1949. He took a training in Kolkata School of Tropical Medicine with a special permission. And in 1949, when I was one year old and my elder brother, just 14 months old, he applied to government of central province to give him a land, and they gave him a 50% reserve forest near Chandrakoot Street. And he, with his wife, means my mother, was a very rich family in Nagpur. Both of them intentionally decided to do the work for the leprosy patient with their two small children. And the whole world disowned him, including the relatives, including the father. I remember our childhood, because we were so small in that time. It was isolation. Myself, my brother Vikas, and mother and father, they were the so-called healthy living in a leprosyrium with hundreds of leprosypations around. Why are the people afraid of leprosypations? You know, because they thought it was highly contagious. And then you get deformities and all these things. So society doesn't look good at things. So naturally they were begging. So once he started the leprosy, in the name of Maharogi Sawasamiti, a lot of patients started coming. You know, so your father moved from a very wealthy lifestyle in Nagpur to a village, to a tribal area, really, to start this leprosy colony. And you went there when you were a year old, and you grew up in that situation where you really had to live like the people around you. Now when you grew up, you went to college. Actually, you said that you saw that there was a need for medicine in that. So you decided to become a doctor and you went back to college. How was the transition for you, having grown up in this area, and then to go to Nagpur to go to college? How was that transition for you? Actually, we had not known any competition until then. And actually, in the primary education, we learned with these farmers and leprosy children. And what actually education and city life is, we did not know. Fortunately, myself and my brother were in the same class. So we both got the admission and we went to Nagpur. And the atmosphere was so different, so affluent and all these things. And there was a lot of ragging, you know, during those days, medical college students used to do the ragging. And we had a very simple khadi cloths. So it was a target for them to do the ragging. So as and when the holidays came, we used to go to Anandwan, which was 100 kilometers away, and spend the holiday there rather than spending with these affluent medical students. But somehow, we got through all the examinations. First, there may be a second and maybe a second final examination. And then by the time Baba has got from recognition, a lot of people started coming, including the relatives. And suddenly, He said, now that you have appeared for a final and maybe a second examination, we'll go for a picnic. We were awaiting results. And picnic where we had never heard of that place is called Bhambra Ghatir. This was in the deep, 250 kilometers away from Anandwan. So we all went in a peak of van. And we had to cross six rivers through the riverbed in a four-wheel jeep. It took about two days to reach that place. And we were really happy that he got us in a nice place where there was no electricity, a lot of stars and moon lighting there. And in the next two days, he showed us the life of that particular area. The tribals, one of the most primitive tribe called Madhya, Madhya Goan, were living in that area. And they had no clothes to wear, just a small loincloth to cover the private parts. And they were so scared of, she was like, those who were wearing clothes. So wherever we went to meet them in their villages, they used to run away in the forest. And moreover, some of them stopped them. We tried to talk to them. The language was a barrier. They had never learned Marathi or Hindi, which we knew during that time. So we could see the condition of these people here. They were malnourished, the children were had pot bellies and all these things. So after two days before returning to Anandwan, my father said, during the last two days, what you have seen, though we have worked for leprosy patient, I have seen a lot of sorrow and all these things. But this is something different. A man like you and me is living worse life than the animals. So I want to do something for them. So your father moved you even further interior on a picnic and then you ended up staying there and that's where you practice actually today with your wife. You know, one of the things you talk about is how generous or how tolerant the tribal side. So tell us a little bit about the tribal side. Actually, when we got the land, and we started the project in 1973, we expected a lot of patients would come. But they had never seen modern medicine or doctors. So nobody came, in fact. It was really frustrating. Though we had little hardship, but we were prepared, we had gone there voluntarily. There was no electricity, there were no roads, there was no telephone connection. And even in Mansoon, you know, used to remain cut off for five months. So that we had known. So we were mentally prepared. Even my wife, those chiefs on Nagpur, she never complained about it. But we never expected that the patient wouldn't come for treatment. So we used to go to their villages, try to convince them. They say, we have got our witchcraft in every villages. We'll go to him, sacrifice, go to chicken. Sometimes even human sacrifice was also practiced. Human sacrifice, yeah, yeah. So then what to do? Then we said, you bring the patients which were not cured by your witchcraft. And then they brought the first patient who got himself burned, because they used to sleep by the side of fire in winter. It's too cold there. So he was 40% burned, he had epilepsy. And moreover, he had maggots in his wounds. So the witchcraft couldn't cure him. He brought him here. We treated him with antibiotics. We gave him anti-epileptic. And within a month, he got cured. So that was the first case that a lot of more and more patients started coming. A patient who was about to die. And second patient, I will tell you, there are a lot of cases of fever. We had no laboratory. How to diagnose it? And a man came from 25 kilometers on a stretcher, a bamboo stretcher. The procession came through different villages. So many people came to know that the serious patient was brought to our small cottage hospital. And we were worried, what to do now? How to diagnose it? So myself and my wife, Mandakani, we decided on some diagnoses and started treatment. It was a cerebral malaria that we thought. So we treated with cleaning and other life-saving drugs. And he opened his eyes on the third day. On the fifth day, he said, now I'm all right, I am going back. So he carried his own stretcher on his shoulder on the same path. And that was the advertisement. A lot more patients started coming. We did not have to go again to the people. They started coming from different places. And then, sorry, you also talked about a very ironic case. Can you tell us about the bear attack? Yeah, yeah, I mean, they live in a thick forest. So there are a lot of cases of bear bites, there are a lot of cases of snake bites, wild boar bites. But one case, which I still remember, is that he was brought from 60 kilometers, which took him 48 hours on a shoulder. And his eyes were blinded. There was a severe bear bite and the skull was out. And he was talking to me. He couldn't see anything. The whole body was started with blood and all clots. So I treated him, washed his skull. It was soiled with mud and leaves and all this thing. And then I said, we had very few medicines that day during that time. He said, now I want to cover your skull with the skin, which is loose. So we must teach it. He said, OK, you go on. He said, I don't have any anesthetics and all this. He said, you can carry on. So I gave the first teach. I said, this will pain you have to wear. He said, OK, go on. So I gave him 100 stitches without anesthesia. And he didn't shout at all. I mean, he didn't cry. And the relatives were looking at him. They thought that he was given anesthesia. I mean, that much tolerance I had never seen in my life. That has changed inside our life. How we complained about small things. And then he got cured. After two months, he went back. He was there with us. But he was blind. And then after a year, I inquired about him. He said, he died of malnutrition. Because he was blind, he couldn't collect food for him. And the relatives had not enough to eat for themselves. So he used to get red share. And gradually he was eliminated from the society. So that was really a shocking incident for me. What a life, in India, you have two different worlds. There are a lot of alternatives you have in the cities and in other places. You don't have a single square meal to eat. Actually, that led you to do something where we said that you learned how to do cataract on your own. So we both were doctors. My wife was an anesthetist. And I left my surgery. But I was not an ophthalmologist. We saw a lot of cases of cataract in the area, blind persons. Then I decided to call some of my friends from Nagpur. They said, there's no electricity. There's no facilities to go. How can we come there? So then I bought the instruments. I bought the book. And I did my first cataract surgery. The philosophy behind it is that if you do a cataract surgery, if it fails, then nothing much is going to happen to his life because he's already blind. But if I can give him a site again, it's a rebirth like him. So the first case was really exciting for us. I had prepared. The book was open. My assistant was telling me the steps. I did the first surgery. And I addressed him. And next day, all of my colleagues had gathered around her, the patient. And we opened the dressing. And everybody was wondering what will happen now. Whether she could see or it will be blind again. And then I put my fingers on her finger. And she said it's two in her own language. And everybody was so overjoyed that this operation was successful. So a lot of patients started coming for her. That grew my confidence, you know? So a lot of patients came for her. So that's you as a doctor. And you have a very interesting relationship with animals. You have leopards. You have lions. You have snakes. And most of the snakes are venomous. And you don't remove the fangs, et cetera. So what is it about animals that you love? What makes you so comfortable to put your hand in their mouth? So studies often is a tragic incident, you know? We knew that tribal used to kill and eat animals. But we imagined that animals means rabbit, or a deer, or a wild boar, and few birds. That's all. But when we had gone, actually, seeing, they used to eat anything that moves, anything that moves. I mean, really, it was shocking to us. In India, nobody kills monkeys for food. Because it has some religious importance. And we saw one day a person coming with hunted monkeys. And we were really shocked. My second mother came in. And the monkeys had a live baby circling the dead mother. So we stopped. I said, please, please, pardon this monkey. Please give us, baby. And so he said, our children are hungry. How can we give? Then we again, we will give you food in exchange of this baby. And that was the first animal in my, in 74, almost now 30, 40 years back. And then we fed him with milk powder and bottled feeding and all these things. And we tried it with people. Please don't kill the young one. So the next animal was a deer, and then the leopard, and the bear, and the crocodile, and whatnot. I mean, almost 70 animals. And then I considered them as my family member. All of them. Without, I mean, and the only power is the power of love. I never used to speak. I never used anything to discipline them. And my sons, my grandsons, they're so interested. They're so, they're like all these animals. My grandson sits on the back of a leopard. He catches the snakes around his neck and all these things. So, so this is only power of love. Though there is a danger of attack. But I am still alive after living with them for 40 years. I really want to acknowledge that it's your whole family. You know, your father did that. Now you and your wife are doing it. Your two sons are back working with you. And their children are now playing with the animals. So you have three generations of people working tirelessly with the tribals, et cetera. So my last question to you is you've gotten a lot of awards, you know? You've got, there's a stamp in you guys' name in Monaco. There is a Maxis Award that is from Philippines. And all things that have come from outside India. What do you want India to do for your cause? Actually, we have seen both the lives in India. I mean, we live in the other world, where they, almost 40% of the population live below poverty, poverty line, BPL. And then what I personally feel that, why I started this work? Because my father, Baba, has exposed me to their conditions. And then that has turned my, there was a turning point in my life. Otherwise, I would have never known this tribe if my father had not taken me to their place. So simply I felt that the people living in cities, young generation especially, if they can intentionally go and see such projects, see the lives of our own fellow brothers. And then there is a realization that I have experience. A lot of young generation has taken inspiration and started in their own way, the social work in different places. So that is really encouraging. So what I feel, and I appeal to all of you, I mean, if you, and when you get time, you please do come and at least visit our place. This is an open invitation to all. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much.