Vinoba Bhaves Economic Thought – Boodan Mov...

Vinoba Bhaves Economic Thought – Boodan Movement

Author Name : Dr. Mubaraque Quraishi

ABSTRACT

After independence and the passing away of the Mahatma Gandhi, although formally the parasitic Zamindari system was in the process of abolition, the concentration of land ownership in the hands of a few was appalling. At that time (and later also) the top one per cent owned 17 per cent, the top 5 per cent owned 41 per cent, while the top 10 per cent owned 58 per cent of landholdings in India. Thus 10 per cent landowners had 58 per cent of land-holdings under their control, while 90 per cent people had only 42 per cent of landholdings. And there were teaming millions, dependent on agriculture, out of the arena of landownership i.e., were landless.

The struggle for land for the landless and the tillers was going on all over the country. It was the demand of the objective situation in the country. It was on April 18, 1951 that Vinoba in the village Pochampalli, in Telangana, asked for land in a public meeting and got one hundred acres at once from one benevolent donor for distribution among the landless. Thus was born the Bhoodan, land-gift.

Keywords : Bhoodan, Vinoba Bhave, Mahatma Gandhi, landless, Zamindari, land gift, Jayprakash Narayan.