Who was this man -- Gadge Maharaj -- who can motivate from his grave the simple folk of India, in a manner money could not?

"The Maharaj was born in 1876 in Runmochan a village in Amravati District of Maharashtra. His father was a dhobi and a small time farmer but a hopeless drunkard. The bewildered young boy went to grow up in his uncle's care. When he was a young man - married with a child- misery continued to chase him. His farm was possessed by a moneylender who drove him and his family away. He then began to labour for a wage.

"One day as he ran around busily chasing birds raiding grain, a sadhu happened to pass by. He saw the panting young man and began to laugh loudly. "Do you think you own the grain?" asked the mendicant. That was the young man's aha moment. He walked out and into the world. And thus began a life that lives on in the collective memory of our humble people.

"Till his death in 1956 Gadge Maharaj travelled everywhere in the then Bombay Presidency. Packed to the hilt it would arrive in a village. Every morning began with 2 hours of sweeping and cleaning. Not a drop of water passed his lips till he had done that. He affected people everywhere. Money poured in for his projects. He built inns, schools, animal shelters and medical centres that thrive till this day. Yet the Maharaj stayed rarely for more a couple of days at any place. He was forever in a hurry and on a mission."

The Do-It-Yourself Preacher:

He was a big man who dressed to attract attention. He wore his eating pan on his head and always carried a broom in his hands.

On arrival in a village he would lead his entourage in briskly sweeping the streets clean.

His meetings --satsangs-- would begin with a token nod to God and quicky arrive at his pet themes.

"Give" was his keyword.

"Give food to the hungry, shelter to the needy, clothes to the naked, protection to animals and trees, aid for girls' marriages," he would say.