Vinayak Narahari Bhave, commonly known as Vinoba, was borri at Gahoda in Maharashtra, on 11 September, 1895. Educated at Baroda in the Government High School, he was a brilliant student, but he soon lost interest in conventional studies. He passed the Matriculation examination in 1913 and was due to appear for the Intermediate  examination in  1916 for  which he had to go to Bombay.   Instead  of  going to Bombay he detrained at Surat and proceeded to Banaras, where he studied  Sanskrit and became proficient in all Hindu scriptural books. He was a self-taught multilinguist.

After Gandhiji's return from South Africa early in 1915, Vinoba recognised in him the kindredmost of spirits and requested him to adopt himself as his spiritual son in 1916. In 1921, Jamnalal Bajaj requested Gandhiji to give him his best and most trusted lieutenant at Sabarmati Ashram to be sent to  Wardha  to start a similar Ashram. Gandhiji sent Vinoba. Jamnalal placed his  whole family under his charge. Speaking about Vinoba, Gandhiji said. "He is one of the Ashram's rare pearls-one of those who have come not to be blessed but to bless, not to receive but to give".

Vinoba lived in accordance with the eleven vows, included in the Gandhian daily prayer, viz, non-violence, truthfulness, absolute honesty, chastity, poverty, manual work, temperance, fearlessness, respect for all religions, independence in the matter of money and non-recognition of caste distinctions. At the Ashram, he took up scavenging work and had "no trace of untouchability left in his heart".

He was one of the moving spirits of the Nagpur Flag Satyagraha, his companions being  Jamnalal  Bajaj,  Bhagwan Deen and Nilkanthrao Deshmukh. In 1924, Gandhiji sent Vinoba to Guruvayur (Kerala) to participate in the Harijan Temple Entry Satyagraha.  He participated in the famous 'Dandi March' for Salt Satyagraha   in   1930,  for  which  he  was again sent to prison.

In April, 1951, he started the Bhoodan Movement, with a view to bringing about fundamental social and economic changes in society by peaceful means. The movement began  by  way of gifts of land  to be distributed among the landless, later developing into voluntary renunciation of ownership of land in favour of village communities-Gramdan. More  than four million acres of land were collected in Bhoodan and 18,000 villages had been declared Gramdan or common ownership within 15 years of the launching of the movement.

Vinoba wanted each village to be self­sufficient in food and clothing. His creed was, "Now that political freedom has been attained, we have to work for the establishment of equality. I have called that 'Sarvodaya'. It is for the establishment of this that I am going from village to village".

On the pattern of Mahatma Gandhi's Ashram at Sabarmati, Acharya Vinoba Bhave started his own Ashram at Paunar, near Wardha, where he continued to stay till his death on 15th Nov., 1982.

Indian Posts and Telegraphs Department is privileged to issue a stamp in honour  of  this  great  freedom  fighter.

Source : Information Folder issued by Indian Posts & Telegraph Department, Government of India