39. I have never known ecstasy...maybe this was some thing very close to it

 Thousand Moon: Dr. Raghunath Boradkar, Kothrud, Pune. 81+

Contributed by: Rohini

I met Dr. Boradkar for the first time when he recited one of his poems at a cultural program arranged by Phoenix Metro Marathi Mandal, AZ. He was visiting his son at the time. During one of our subsequent meetings I learnt to my delight that Dr. Boradkar was a good friend of my maternal uncle since they both lived in Jamnagar, Gujarath. Apart from being a physician and a poet he has many other interests and keeps up with the world via his computer that he says he is addicted to. Dr. Boradkar has contributed several interviews to this blog. He recently became a 'sahasrachandra darshi' witnessing a thousand moons and has shared one of his happiest moments here upon my request. Here is the account in his own words.

Our first visit to the US was in 1996. Our son Prasad had found a job at ITT Technical Institute in San Bernardino, California to start a new program in Product Design. During this visit, time flew by rapidly and we found ourselves back in India in no time.

In 2000, he moved to Phoenix and joined Arizona State University (ASU). I faintly remember he had asked me if leaving ITT and joining ASU was proper and I had opined in favor. I had then felt that ASU would positively open more doors for him.

In 2003 we met Prasad again in Bhutan where my daughter was working at that time. He seemed to be enjoying his work and the academic atmosphere. When asked he said, “teaching seems to be in my blood.” Finding work that one enjoys is the best thing that can happen in anyone’s life, and I envied him for that.

In 2005 we visited Phoenix. By then, I had retired and we were in no hurry to go back to India. Prasad had just signed a contract to write a book for Berg, a publishing house based in Oxford, England. His friend Paul Rothstein who had unexpectedly died the day after he received the contract had called it “a big deal”. I felt it was a tall order. And it tickled me somewhere.

Soon it was time to leave the US, and we were back in India. And at this stage, it was still a very small idea in his head. What I did not know was that it could grow into an obsession in mine. It did not appear very rational. It was his book, not mine, and clearly I should have no reason to be bothered about it. In spite of all logic, however, the idea of the book first became a concern and then an obsession for me—a magnificent one.

Sometime back I had acquired a computer and I used to regularly fiddle with it. Soon I became acquainted with it and eventually got addicted to it. It was something good that happened to me. I was now able to send emails and ask numerous questions about the progress of the book.

In 2008 we visited Phoenix again. This visit turned out to be an eye opener for me as far as the book was concerned. I could see that barring the hours spent in the university, he spent most of his time on the computer working on the book. I could also sense the tension that was building inside him as the deadline for submission of the manuscript was nearing. There was hardly anything that we could do except looking after his home. Though I had realized that there was no point in pushing, I somehow did not stop goading him to finish and submit the manuscript on time rather than asking for extensions.

We were relieved when on the due date he told us that it was all done and it was just to be submitted. I can recollect that it was late in the evening when he sent off the manuscript, and we happily went out to celebrate the event.  Prasad’s editor at Berg, Mr. Tristan Palmer wrote the next day or day after. He had read the first chapter and had said that he was bowled over—something we had not really expected. It was a comforting compliment.

Months rolled on and it was time to head back home. There was nothing to be done now other than wait for the book to appear in print. What began was an endless flow of time that never seemed to end.

This time I came back to India with a laptop added to my already extra luggage: a very likable addition indeed. And in a few days after returning home, I was used to the laptop. On Amazon.com, I could see the date of publication and a picture of the book cover. The book was being reviewed and some changes here and there must have been suggested and implemented. Though I understood that the process was time‐consuming and we had no control over it, my mind was somehow was not ready to accept the fact. But wait I had to, and so I ultimately tried the only panacea available and that was to LET GO.

Fortunately (or otherwise), time passes in spite of you. Finally the day arrived when Prasad informed me about the publishing of the book. It was the 6th June 2010, and it felt like we had been waiting for a baby to be born. This birth of a book was a great event in my life and the one that I had not imagined till it started. And although it was not an achievement of mine it still made me immensely happy. I had asked Prasad to send me a copy and he promptly did so. When I got the book in my hand, I went on looking at it, handled it gently, and felt like a child who gets a new toy.

Feelings often fall short of the words we use to describe them. Though feelings of joy, ecstasy or happiness might be difficult to describe, they are real sensations. However, the intensity with which one feels is a very personal affair. I was happy, and became more so when the book got an award from Prasad’s university as the best book in 2010 on transdisciplinary humanities.

I have never known ecstasy. Maybe this was a similar feeling or something very close to it.

Dr. Raghunath Boradkar

38. Face To Face With a Tiger

Thousand Moon: Nana Sovani

Date: February, 2012

Contributed by: Bapu Kelkar

Nana Sovani lives in Someshwar near Ratnagiri, Maharashtra, India. My father Bapu, a Thousand Moon himself, comes from the same village and spoke with Nana Sovani during his last visit to Someshwar. The account was narrated to me and I have tried to capture it in words.

Nana Sovani now retired for many years, was a teacher by profession. He would get posted in villages close to Devrukh, a town in the Ratnagiri District. He would get paid every two months when he would go to Devrukh on foot and collect his paycheck. On one such trip during a late summer afternoon, Nana was walking on a deserted road towards Devrukh when to his shock and horror he came face to face with a tiger, a real live tiger! He was petrified for a moment and then the fight-or-flight instinct took over and Nana turned around and ran for his dear life and did not look back till he reached home. Although he was devoid of any energy and was thoroughly exhausted yet was overjoyed and overcome with relief for being alive and well.  Nana remembers the incidence vividly even today!

37. I felt proud that I was a citizen of a free nation

Shrimati Lila Laxman Deo (81+)

Contributed by Dr. R. Boradkar (81+)

It was a day but a day that comes only once .It was a moment but a moment that comes only once. On this day and at this moment of midnight India was to be free from a nearly two hundred years of British subjugation.

Every soul in India that day was waiting for the moment that would change history   and be a witness to that great event.

Exactly at the stroke of midnight, for a moment the time stood still, and then those unforgettable words of the First Prime Minister of free India Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru filled the atmosphere giving every Indian the Joy and Pride of being a free citizen.

Those words were “Long years ago we made tryst with destiny and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge not wholly or in full measure but  very substantially .At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps , India will awake to life and freedom.”

Shrimati Lila Laxman Deo is proud to be a witness to this memorable event.

Shrimati Lila Laxman Deo stays Kothrud, Pune, India

She spends her time reading books on various topics, Is an Active member of Senior Citizens club. Acts as a councilor for her family. She loves her morning walk and exercise.

Here is her account tin her own words.

I was just sixteen when India achieved independence .From my childhood I used to hear that we were ruled by the British and that we were just slaves. In my family the family members were fond of reading newspapers and we used to have different newspapers in our house. The elders used to read the papers and then discuss the political issues amongst themselves. I listened to what was discussed. The stories of patriots who suffered and sacrificed their lives and willingly went to the gallows moved me to tears.

On 15 th August 1947 India became free and at long last we had our freedom .The very thought that we are now free people and a free nation filled my heart with immense joy.

And then there was the morning of our Very First independence day. There was music being played everywhere. The melodious tunes from the Sanai (is an Indian wind instrument) filled the air. My heart was full to the brim with joy indescribable. My country was free and we had driven out the British from our soil.

Quickly I finished my morning chores, put on a new dress and went to school literarily dancing. There was to be a procession and everybody was busy with the preparation. All my classmates were happy. Sweets were distributed and then the procession started.

Slogans like Bharatmata ki Jai (Victory to Mother India), Jay Hind (Victory to India) and swantantryacha  vijay aso  (Victory to freedom) filled the air and the different voices blended together and there was enthusiasm unseen before.

But somewhere in my mind I felt sorry for those who willingly sacrificed their lives and were unable to see this day. The joy I felt was tinged with a shade of sorrow.

While participating in the procession I felt that everything seemed different. The Tri-color was proudly unfurled on every Government Building. I felt proud that I was a citizen of a free nation. I really couldn’t believe that I was actually witnessing and experiencing this great moment.

Now I have completed eighty one years of my life .and I am happy and proud of being a Citizen of a free nation. I do not feel there could have been a greater moment of happiness than this for me.

I tell my children with great pride that I have seen the First Independence day. It’s a golden day for me and I will never forget it in my life .It was a day of utmost happiness and will remain so for me forever.