After gandhijis assassination on jan 30,1948,many of gandhis followers looked to vinobha for direction.He advised that,now india reached its goal of swaraj,the gandhians new goal should be a society dedicated to sarvodaya,the WELFARE OF ALL.The name struck and the movement of gandhians became known as SARVODAYA MOVEMENT.A merger of constructive work agencies produced SARVA SEVA SANGH-The society for service of all which became the core of sarvodaya movement.
In 1951, following the yearly sarvodaya conference in what is now the state of andhrapradesh.At the close of conference, vinobha announced his intention to journey through the near by districts of telangana.Telangana was at the moment was the scene of armed insurrection.Communist students and some of the poorest villagers had united in GURELLA ARMY.This army tried to break the land monopoly of rich land lords by driving them out of killing them and distributing their land.At the height of revolt,gurellas had controlled an area of 3000 villages.Indian Army had been sent each side would kill the the villagers they suspected of supporting other side.
Vinobha hoped to find a solution to the conflict and to the injustice.On april 18,the day of his walk, Vinobha stopped in the village of POCHAMPALLI,which had been an important communist strong hold soon some villagers gathered around them near a mosque.
Among the visitors was a group of 40 families of landless HARIJANS .They told vinobha that they had no choice but to support communists, because only they would give them land. They asked would vinobha ask the government instead to give them land? Vinobha replied “what use of government help until we can help ourselves”?.But he himself was not satisfied with the answer.He was deeply perplexed.
Late afternoon,by a lake next to village thousands gathered around him.Vinobha asked “BROTHERS IS THERE ANY ONE AMONG YOU WHO CAN HELP THESE HARIJAN FRIENDS”. A prominent farmer of the village SRIRAMULU stood up “sir iam ready to give one hundred acres”.Vinobha could not believe his ears and vinobha as astonished when harijans declared that they just need 80 acres and would not accept more!
Vinobha announced that he would walk all through the regions to collect gifts of land to landless.so began the movement called BOODHAN- land gift.Vinobha would tell farmers and landlords “iam your fifth son give my equal share of land”. At first moderate farmers gave the land for them.He was holy,a saint,mahatmas own son,later richer land lords also began to give.At the end of seven weeks he collected over 12000 acres.After he left ,sarvodaya workers continued to collect land in his name received 100000 acres.
In west too Vinobhas effort drew attention.Vinobha appeared on the cover of TIME,NEWYORKER,NEWYORKTIMES by the end of 1954 sarvodayas collected 3 million acres nation wide.
