Free Spirit Award 2010: Mahesh Yadav
Photographer unknown
Mahesh Yadav, also Known as "Aman Gandhi", is a Free Tibet and World Peace activist, who has dedicated himself to work incessantly for the freedom of Tibet, sustenance of human rights and establishment of peace on earth.
Being deeply moved by the ever-increasing bloodshed in the world in general, and of Tibetans in Tibet in particular, and moreover inspired by the Gandhian way of peaceful and non-violent struggle, he has been continuing peaceful actions for a free Tibet for the last 14 years, even after confronting a number of personal, economic and other problems. He also faced a number of threats to his life from China supporters, and was made to experience a number of days in police custody, house arrest and jail confinement, only for being continuously involved in the Tibetan freedom movement and the establishment of democracy in Tibet.
He raises his voice for Tibetan freedom by conducting peaceful demonstrations, rallies and protests, including the Satyagrah campaign, at local, regional, national and international levels. He also adopted an unprecedented blood campaign as a method to raise his concern for "Save Tibet", "Save Humanity". In this blood movement, he extracts his own blood and uses it to draw portraits and write letters demonstrating his beliefs.
Yadav's view is that if peaceful movements do not succeed to free Tibet, which is one of the last countries to be freed, no other hopes remain in the world to get human rights by non-violent and peaceful means.
Yadav has protested for world peace, anti-terrorist activities, human rights, environment, AIDS awareness and protection and promotion of democracy by way of portraits and appeals to and from world leaders. He uses his own blood in his protests, in stage shows, dharna (fasting), face painting, nation-wide tours and publc programmes, taking them on the road from city to city.
Yadav has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Hindi, and a four-year Ayurvedic degree. He lives in Bhopal and works as an Ayurvedic doctor, and also edits a new Hindi Magazine "Glory of India". He is the founder and convener of Mahatma Gandhi Tibet Freedom Movement.