On the 27th January, 2014, Bhaskar Save, aka Save-guruji – the acclaimed ‘Gandhi of Natural Farming’ – completes 92 years. He has inspired and mentored 3 generations of organic farmers. Masanobu Fukuoka, the legendary Japanese natural farmer, visited his farm in 1997, and described it as “the best in the world, even better than my own farm!” It is a veritable food forest and a net supplier of water, energy and fertility to the local eco-system, rather than a net consumer.

“Our ancient sages understood Nature’s ways far better than most modern day technologists. The Upanishads say: ‘Om Purnamadaha Purnamidam Purnat Purnamudachyate Purnasya Purnamadaya Purnamewa Vashishyate’
This creation is whole and complete. From the whole emerge creations, each whole and complete. Take the whole from the whole (respectfully, as many times as you need) the whole yet remains, undiminished, complete!”

“Not so long ago,” adds Bhaskar Save, “the poet and writer, Bankim Chandra, paid lyrical tribute to our sujalam, sufalam land. Ours indeed was a remarkably fertile and prosperous country – with rich soils, abundant sunshine and water, thick forests, wondrous bio-diversity; and gentle, peace-loving people with a vast store of farming know-how and wisdom. For generations beyond count, this land sustained one of the highest densities of population on earth -- without chemical ‘fertilizers’, pesticides, exotic dwarf varieties of grain, or any of the new, expensive ‘bio-tech’ inputs now being promoted.
“Gandhi believed in gram swaraj (or village self-governance),” says Save. “Central to his vision was complete self-reliance at the village level in all the basics needed for a healthy life. He had confidence in the strength of organic farming in this country... but we have strayed far from this path. Vinoba Bhave too pointed out that industries merely transform ‘raw materials’ sourced from Nature. They cannot create anew. Only Nature is truly creative and self-regenerating – through synergy with the fresh daily inflow of the sun’s energy.

“There is on earth, a constant inter-play of the six paribals (key factors) of Nature, interacting with sunlight. Three are: air, water and soil. Working in tandem with these, are the three orders of life: vanaspati srushti, the world of plants; jeev srushti, the realm of insects and micro-organisms; and prani srushti, the animal kingdom. These six paribals maintain a dynamic balance. Together, they harmonise Nature’s grand symphony – mystic grace! “Man has no right to disrupt any of the paribals of Nature. But modern technology, wedded to commerce – rather than compassion – has proved disastrous at all levels. We have despoiled and polluted the soil, water and air. We have wiped out most of our forests and killed its creatures. And relentlessly, modern farmers spray deadly poisons on their fields, massacring Nature’s jeev srushti, or micro-organisms and insects – the unpretentious, but tireless little fertility workers that maintain the vital, ventilated quality of the soil, recycling all life-ebbed biomass into nourishment for plants. The noxious chemicals also inevitably poison the water, and Nature’s prani srushti or animal kingdom, including humans.
“Gandhi declared, ‘Where there is soshan, or oppression, there can be no poshan, or nurture!’ Vinoba Bhave added, ‘Science wedded to compassion can bring about a paradise on earth. But divorced from ahimsa, or non-violence, it can only cause a massive conflagration that swallows us in its flames.’ “Trying to increase Nature’s ‘productivity,’ is the fundamental blunder that highlights the arrogant ignorance of agricultural scientists. Nature, unspoiled by man, is already most abundant in her yield. When a grain of rice can reproduce a thousand-fold within months, where is the need to increase its productivity! What is required at most is to help ensure the necessary natural conditions for optimal, wholesome yield.

1993: ‘Person of the year’ Award from Limca Book of Recorders – Mumbai. And also get the place in ‘Limca Book of World Records’ for highest yield.
1993: ‘Nisarg Bhushan Award’ given by Mr. Mohan Dhariya (M.P.) & President of ‘National Foundation of Organic Farming’ at Sangli – Maharashtra.
2000: ‘Jamnalal Bajaj Award’ for application of science and technology for rural development, from Jamnalal Bajaj foundation
2002: ‘Sardar Patel Award’ from Krushi & Sahakari Department of Gujarat Government.
2006: ‘National Award for the Best Coconut Farmer’ from Coconut Development Board, India
2010: ‘ONE WORLD LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD’ from ‘IFOAM –Germany’