Mandakini Amte

Mandakini Amte popularly known as Manda Amte is a medical doctor and social worker from Maharashtra, India. She along with her husband, Dr. Prakash Amte were awarded the Magsaysay Award for 'Community Leadership'[1] in 2008 for their philanthropic work in the form of the Lok Biradari Prakalp amongst the Madia Gonds in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra and the neighbouring states of Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. She is the daughter-in-law of Baba Amte.[2][3][4]

Dr. Mandakini Amte
NationalityIndian
EducationMBBS
Post-graduate Diploma in Anesthesia
Alma materGovernment Medical College (Nagpur)
OccupationSocial worker
Years active1973 - present
Known forLok Biradari Prakalp
Spouse(s)Prakash Amte
ChildrenDr. Digant Amte
Aniket Amte
Arti Amte
AwardsRamon Magsaysay Award 2008
Websitewww.lokbiradariprakalp.org www.lbphemalkasa.org.in

Early life, education and career

Mandakini Amte was born as Mandakini Deshpande. She had completed her MBBS from Nagpur and later decided to do her post-graduation in Anesthesia. Prakash, her future husband, was a surgeon and that's how they met. They worked together in the same operation theatre. Their values matched and they gelled well.

Her father was dead opposed to her marriage with Dr. Prakash Amte as he feared that it meant she would have to live among lepers, which was a taboo then. Baba Amte called her over to Anandwan and asked if she was ready to live with Dr. Prakash in a jungle for the rest of her life. When she assured Baba Amte, consent to marriage was given and they got married.[5]

Magsaysay award

Dr. Mandakini Amte & her husband Dr. Prakash were jointly awarded the Magsaysay Award for community leadership for 2008, her citation reads as follows:[6][7]

"In electing Prakash Amte and Mandakini Amte to receive the 2008 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership, the board of trustees recognizes their enhancing the capacity of the Madia Gonds to adapt positively in today's India, through healing and teaching and other compassionate interventions.

Commemorative stamp

The Principality of Monaco brought out a postage stamp in honour of the life and work of Dr. Prakash and Dr. Mandakini in 1995 - just as they had done for Dr. Albert Schweitzer in 1955. This was only the second time that the Kingdom of Monaco brought out a stamp to honour a foreigner for their humanitarian work.

A French couple, Mr. Guy and Dr. Greet Barthelemy, who had worked with Dr. Schweitzer in the early fifties, visited the project in 1992. They were moved to see the similarity of conditions at Hemalkasa and those in Africa where Dr. Schweitzer worked. This French couple went back and appealed to Prince Rainier III of Monaco to publish a postal stamp to honour the Amtes, which was done in 1995.[8][9]

See also

References
  1. Citation Archived 27 August 2008 at the Wayback Machine from the website of Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation
  2. "My father was against our marriage". dnaindia.com. Diligent Media Corporation Ltd. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  3. "Prakash & Mandakini Amte". outlookindia.com. Outlook: The Web Edition. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  4. "Event at the Hilt – Meet the Real Heroes: Doctor Prakash Amte and Doctor Manda Amte". chandlersfordtoday.co.uk/. Chandler's Ford Today. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
  5. "My father was against our marriage". dnaindia.com. Diligent Media Corporation Ltd. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  6. "Amte, Prakash | CITATION". rmaf.org.ph. © Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
  7. "Magsaysay award for Amte couple". hindustantimes.com. HT Media Limited. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
  8. "Dr. Prakash and Dr. Mrs. Mandakini Amte - International Awards - Hamdan Award for Volunteers in Humanitarian Medical Services - 2009-2010". hmaward.org.ae/. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  9. "VILLAGES SANS FRONTIERES - Hemalkasa - Lok Biradari Prakalp (Fraternité entre les peuples)". vsf64.free.fr/. VILLAGES SANS FRONTIERES c/o LAZE - Quartier Lasbordes 64270 SALIES-DE-BEARN. Archived from the original on 16 November 2013. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
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