Bhave, Vinoba

Bhave, Vinoba (vĭnōbə bä`vā), 1895–1982, Indian religious figure, founder of the Bhoodan Movement. While studying Sanskrit in Benares (Varanasi), he joined Mohandas K. Gandhi as a disciple. At Gandhi's request Bhave resisted British wartime regulations in 1940 and spent nearly five years in prison. After Gandhi died (1948), Bhave was widely accepted as his successor. More interested in land reform, accomplished voluntarily, than in politics, he founded in 1951 the Bhoodan Movement, or land-gift movement, and subsequently traveled thousands of miles by foot, accepting donations of land for redistribution to the landless. By 1969 the Bhoodan had collected over 4 million acres (1.6 million hectares) of land for redistribution. His writings include The Principles and Philosophy of Bhoodan Yajna (1955), Talks on the Gita (1960, 3d ed. 1964), and The Steadfast Wisdom (1966).