History of Bhoodan movement Bhoodan movement

on 18 april 1951, historic day of genesis of bhoodan movement, vinoba entered nalgonda district, centre of communist activity. organisers had arranged vinoba’s stay @ pochampally, large village 700 families, of whom two-thirds landless. pochampally villagers gave vinoba warm welcome. vinoba went visit harijan (the untouchables) colony. afternoon villagers began gather around vinoba @ vinoba s cottage. harijans asked eighty acres of land, forty wet, forty dry forty families enough. vinoba asked, if not possible land government, there not villagers do? s surprise, ram chandra reddy, local landlord got & said in rather excited voice: give 100 acres these people. @ evening prayer meeting, repeated promise offer 100 acres of land villagers. incident neither planned nor imagined genesis of bhoodan movement & made vinoba think therein lay potentiality of solving land problem of india. movement later on developed village gift or gramdan movement. movement part of comprehensive movement establishment of sarvodaya society (the rise of socio-economic-political order), both in india & outside india.

the initial objective of movement secure voluntary donations of land , distribute landless, movement came out demand of 1/6 share of land land owners. in 1952, movement had widened concept of gramdan (village in gift) , had started advocating commercial ownership of land. first village come under gramdan mangroth in hamirpur dist of u.p. took more 3 years village in gift. second , third gramdans took place in orissa , movement started spreading emphasis on securing villages in gift.

raja bahadur giriwar prasad singh c.b.e., raja of ranka (princely state in garhwa in bihar) 1911/1969 donated highest acre of land villagers in palamau area .