Vinoba Bhave

Vinoba Bhave , 1895-1982, Indian religious figure, founder of the Bhoodan Movement. While studying Sanskrit in Benares (Varanasi), he joined Mohandas K. Gandhi as a disciple. At Gandhi's request Bhave resisted British wartime regulations in 1940 and spent nearly five years in prison. After Gandhi died (1948), Bhave was widely accepted as his successor. More interested in land reform, accomplished voluntarily, than in politics, he founded in 1951 the Bhoodan Movement, or land-gift movement, and subsequently traveled thousands of miles by foot, accepting donations of land for redistribution to the landless. By 1969 the Bhoodan had collected over 4 million acres (1.6 million hectares) of land for redistribution. His writings include The Principles and Philosophy of Bhoodan Yajna (1955), Talks on the Gita (1960, 3d ed. 1964), and The Steadfast Wisdom (1966).

Bhave, Vinoba (1895–1982) Indian leader. A follower of Mahatma GANDHI from 1916, he was active in attempts to re-vitalize Indian village life. Imprisoned by the British (1940–44) for defying wartime regulations, Bhave was, after Gandhi's assassination (1948), widely regarded as the leading exponent of Gandhism. He founded (1948) the Sarvodaya Samaj to work among refugees. In 1951 he began the BHOODAN or land-gift movement, and led the Shanti Sena movement for peace and economic and social reform.

Bhave, Vinoba (b. 11 Sept. 1895, d. 15 Nov. 1982). Indian leader Born in Gagoda (Maharashtra) of a high-caste Brahmin family, in 1916 he became an ardent disciple of Gandhi. Interned regularly in the 1920s and 1930s for his non-violent opposition to British rule, he was imprisoned 1940–4 for his opposition to Indian participation in World War II. After Gandhi's assassination in 1948 he was regarded as the leading exponent of Gandhism. In 1948 he founded the Sarvodaya Samaj to work among Indian refugees, and in 1958 he began the Bhoodan or land-gift movement, with the object of acquiring land for redistribution among landless low-caste villagers. At first his object was to acquire individual plots, but later he sought to transfer ownership of entire villages to village councils, walking some 45,000 miles in his campaign. While it did lead to a substantial redistribution of land, most of the land gifts were unproductive and uneconomic. He also led the Shantri Sena volunteer movement for conflict resolution and economic and social reform.