Thursday, June 29, 2017
Down Memory Lane Part III
Down Memory Lane Part III
I would like to speak about people who influenced me most during my lifetime or at least those whom I admired quite a lot.
My grandfather was a man of repute and he had large numbers of friends, well-wishers, admirers as well as occasional critics too. I have witnessed scores of people meeting him everyday, both at home as well as the place on the high street where he would spend a couple of hours in the evening along with some friends. That used to be an open space, in fact a small Dias adjoining a famous shop. People from all strata of society, be it his ex-peons or clerks, teachers, poets and other literary persons, retired officers, industrialists and even Prime Minister of the erstwhile Holkar State would visit him at home. (Grandfather was Customs Commissioner to begin with and later rose to become Cabinet Secretary. Still later he was Director Industries at Indore, Jaipur and lastly at Lahore ! He was decorated by epithets such as “Masheer Bahadur” and “Muntazim-E-Khas Bahadur” as mark of excellence by the State (akin to Padma awards now).
They would drop in any time, particularly in the mornings and each one would be served at least a cup of tea. I was too small to understand whatever they spoke or discussed. My grandfather was a man of few spoken words (like me !) ; however, whatever he spoke would usually be conclusive and acceptable to most. New poets would render their compositions for an appreciative nod from my grandfather. Authors would present a copy for him while taking his autograph over another. He himself was an eminent literary figure in entire Malwa region as well as a renowned critic. Men of Literature naturally thronged around him.
My father was quite forthright, honest, hard working and man of integrity. He was honoured by two nominations, “Sahitya Prajnya” and “Sahitya Alankar”. I have already extolled him earlier, so also my mother who was virtue personified.
There were people of extraordinary caliber and genius in our town. One of them Mr. Prabhakar Govind Ghate was an excellent orator with prowess over Marathi literature, especially Dnyaneshwari. His lifestyle was extremely simple in spite of his erudition. He was instrumental in keeping entire Marathi community of our town cohesive under one cultural umbrella , the Maharashtra Sahitya Sabha for over two decades. I was very fortunate to attend most of the events organised under aegis of the Sabha, which enriched my literary, cultural and social leanings.
Besides, there were men and women with exceptional talents in multifarious fields such as theatre, symposia, classical and semi-classical music, fine arts, sculptor, social work, education, judiciary, administration and even politics. ( I have witnessed value-based politics during my formative years. Alas, it has descended to lowest ebb during the past four decades !)
It is neither possible nor necessary to name the persons in the above mentioned fields. Nevertheless, I cannot forget some of my own teachers, who will ever remain my ideal heroes.
I was fortunate to listen to some towering personalities of the last century. A mention must be made of Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru , Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia, E. M. S. Nambudiripad, S. A. Dange, Jagannathrao Joshi, Vinoba Bhave, Atal Behari Bajpai, George Fernandis, S. M. Joshi, Pu. La. Deshpande etc.
I was closely associated with a wonderful person in Dr. Bhagwat from Akola, who was a grand orator having in-depth knowledge of spirituality. He would speak for hours in spiritual matters and guided many like me on to this path. Two more affable persons are deeply rooted in my heart – Dr. Chakrapani Joshi and Col. P. K. Soman (Nana), literally humility embodied in spite of their erudition.
Recently I came across two gentlemen, Prof. Pohanerkar and Shri Pandurang Deshpande. The former is nearing his century and has become a wonderful phone-friend. The latter is a master-orator having profound prowess over Dnyaneshwari, Amrutanubhav and entire Maha-Bharat too. I feel proud for being associated with these two giants.
Now, there is indeed no end to this list. However, I must make a mention of my wife Usha, who has been a pillar of strength for me, ever encouraging and enthusing. Besides, my children Priya and Ravi, Alka and Shrish are my best friends along with grand daughters Shivani, Sharmishtha and Ashnaa, a lovely lot indeed.
I was fortunate in re-discovering two of my close buddies in Pramod Khirwadkar and Praful Desai after decades !!
Thank you, Thank you All for being there !
Jai Sairam
29 June 2017
I would like to speak about people who influenced me most during my lifetime or at least those whom I admired quite a lot.
My grandfather was a man of repute and he had large numbers of friends, well-wishers, admirers as well as occasional critics too. I have witnessed scores of people meeting him everyday, both at home as well as the place on the high street where he would spend a couple of hours in the evening along with some friends. That used to be an open space, in fact a small Dias adjoining a famous shop. People from all strata of society, be it his ex-peons or clerks, teachers, poets and other literary persons, retired officers, industrialists and even Prime Minister of the erstwhile Holkar State would visit him at home. (Grandfather was Customs Commissioner to begin with and later rose to become Cabinet Secretary. Still later he was Director Industries at Indore, Jaipur and lastly at Lahore ! He was decorated by epithets such as “Masheer Bahadur” and “Muntazim-E-Khas Bahadur” as mark of excellence by the State (akin to Padma awards now).
They would drop in any time, particularly in the mornings and each one would be served at least a cup of tea. I was too small to understand whatever they spoke or discussed. My grandfather was a man of few spoken words (like me !) ; however, whatever he spoke would usually be conclusive and acceptable to most. New poets would render their compositions for an appreciative nod from my grandfather. Authors would present a copy for him while taking his autograph over another. He himself was an eminent literary figure in entire Malwa region as well as a renowned critic. Men of Literature naturally thronged around him.
My father was quite forthright, honest, hard working and man of integrity. He was honoured by two nominations, “Sahitya Prajnya” and “Sahitya Alankar”. I have already extolled him earlier, so also my mother who was virtue personified.
There were people of extraordinary caliber and genius in our town. One of them Mr. Prabhakar Govind Ghate was an excellent orator with prowess over Marathi literature, especially Dnyaneshwari. His lifestyle was extremely simple in spite of his erudition. He was instrumental in keeping entire Marathi community of our town cohesive under one cultural umbrella , the Maharashtra Sahitya Sabha for over two decades. I was very fortunate to attend most of the events organised under aegis of the Sabha, which enriched my literary, cultural and social leanings.
Besides, there were men and women with exceptional talents in multifarious fields such as theatre, symposia, classical and semi-classical music, fine arts, sculptor, social work, education, judiciary, administration and even politics. ( I have witnessed value-based politics during my formative years. Alas, it has descended to lowest ebb during the past four decades !)
It is neither possible nor necessary to name the persons in the above mentioned fields. Nevertheless, I cannot forget some of my own teachers, who will ever remain my ideal heroes.
I was fortunate to listen to some towering personalities of the last century. A mention must be made of Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru , Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia, E. M. S. Nambudiripad, S. A. Dange, Jagannathrao Joshi, Vinoba Bhave, Atal Behari Bajpai, George Fernandis, S. M. Joshi, Pu. La. Deshpande etc.
I was closely associated with a wonderful person in Dr. Bhagwat from Akola, who was a grand orator having in-depth knowledge of spirituality. He would speak for hours in spiritual matters and guided many like me on to this path. Two more affable persons are deeply rooted in my heart – Dr. Chakrapani Joshi and Col. P. K. Soman (Nana), literally humility embodied in spite of their erudition.
Recently I came across two gentlemen, Prof. Pohanerkar and Shri Pandurang Deshpande. The former is nearing his century and has become a wonderful phone-friend. The latter is a master-orator having profound prowess over Dnyaneshwari, Amrutanubhav and entire Maha-Bharat too. I feel proud for being associated with these two giants.
Now, there is indeed no end to this list. However, I must make a mention of my wife Usha, who has been a pillar of strength for me, ever encouraging and enthusing. Besides, my children Priya and Ravi, Alka and Shrish are my best friends along with grand daughters Shivani, Sharmishtha and Ashnaa, a lovely lot indeed.
I was fortunate in re-discovering two of my close buddies in Pramod Khirwadkar and Praful Desai after decades !!
Thank you, Thank you All for being there !
Jai Sairam
29 June 2017
