Parchure Kuti

On the eastern side of Bapu Kuti and his office hut, lies Parchure Kuti. Parchure was asocial worker. He had studied Sanskrit language and was a Pandit, but was somehow afflicted with leprosy disease. In those days people used to shun leprosy patients. Therefore, Parchure was thinking of committing suicide. He came to Gandhiji. Gandhiji himself started nursing and cleaning his wounds. It is in this hut where Gandhiji served the leprosy affected Parchure. Gandhiji even invited Parchure to perform some of the marriage ceremonies in the Ashram.

This act of Gandhiji helped others to overcome their fear of leprosy patients and some of them even came forward to serve them. The tendency to hide this disease also became less and less. Till those days it was mainly a few Christian Missionaries who used to serve leprosy patients. Now many Indians also started serving them. Under Gandhiji's instructions Shri Manoharji Diwan devoted his whole life to this cause. He started an institution to serve leprosy patients near Sevagram viz. Dattapur village. Parchure then shifted to Dattapur and lived their till his death.