(from a report published on Anandwan)

At Anandwan, human beings who happen to be leprosy patients and those usually considered 'disabled' like the blind and the deaf, enter the development process as responsible "subjects" - those who know and act, in contrast to "objects" which are known and acted upon. Nothing but awakening of consciousness can explain the marvels typical of the place: structures, strong and functional, built without architects, engineers and contractors, weavers without fingers, leprosy patients successfully insisting on being licensed to drive heavy duty trucks; a man who cannot walk managing the industrial training centre moving on a tricycle fabricated with in-house talent and materials; a person without previous experience in printing, running a press with competence; a one handed cashier who makes up for a slight slowness by unusual thoroughness; a master tailor who cannot use his hands freely, training tailors from neighbouring villages…