33. Promotion: The day of rejoicing!

Contributed by: Dr. R. Boradkar

Mr. Shirlekar is 82 years old .Born on 3-9-1929.

He spends his time in Akola [Vidarbh] and Pune.

When in Pune He stays with his son.

He feels the day of his promotion as the most happy event in his life and a day of joy for all Shirlekars. This is what he has to say and the account is in his own words.

The day of rejoicing for Shirlekars

Some time in about 1954-55 a truck moved over the streets in Balaghat town, then in Madhya Pradesh [and now in Chhattisgarh] state in India. The banner hung over the truck was “14th Annual session of The M.P .Subordinate Engineering Services Association” and about 30 persons seated in truck shouted the slogan “We will live as overseers and die as overseers”. Having put in about 5 years service in Madhya Pradesh Public Works Department, I was one among those 30 persons.

The slogan being shouted by the occupants in the truck obviously spoke about the bleak Chances of promotion for overseers in the employment of the State Government. I came to know that overseers in class III executive posts were eligible for promotion to the limited non gazetted posts as Sub Divisional officers and only a couple of posts in the entire state available to them for promotion to the gazetted posts of Assistant Engineer in class II and Executive Engineer in class I. It then naturally followed that only a few of the most efficient ones could aspire to go up to these superior ranks and that too at the fag end of their services.

The slogan that I have mentioned had an impact on me and for the first time I was worried about my own promotion that seemed so distant.   I was quite happy and contented till then, with my three figure monthly salary which was comparable to the salaries earned by Graduates working on class III executive posts  in other departments of the state.

The second reason for my contentment was that I came from a poor family and had to struggle a lot during my student days and in spite of all odds I had obtained the Diploma in Civil Engineering from Nagpur University. There was no Degree course then and Government Engineering School was the only institution having engineering faculty in the state.

He slogan affected me in such a way that I took my job with utmost sincerity and hard work and my eyes were set on the promotion in the service.. Luckily at the time of reorganization of states I was allocated to Ex Bombay state where there was no quota rule for promotion to class II post of Deputy Engineer and class I post of executive Engineer. The only criteria for promotion to class II post were that a Diploma Holder had to put in 10 years of service in class III post of overseer/Junior Engineer while a Graduate was eligible for this promotion with three years of service only .For further promotion to class I Gazetted post the only criterion common for all was 7 years service in class II post of Deputy Engineer.

Accordingly immediately after completion of 10 years service as overseer /Junior Engineer I was promoted to the Gazetted Class II post of Deputy Engineer in 1959.

This promotion was a moment of extreme joy for all Shirlekars and it knew no bounds, more so when we thought of the slogan given in 1954-55 that once an overseer for ever an overseer. The vicious spell was broken and I was no more an overseer.

 And then came the moment when All Shirlekars reached the pinnacle of Joy when on 10-9-1978 with 9 years  still for retirement ,I received Government Orders promoting me to Class I gazetted  post of Executive Engineer in Public Works Department.

The occasion was celebrated on a grand scale and as is customary sweets were distributed to one and all. This to me was my finest day.

32. Certificate of Excellence!

Nalini

Contributed by: Dr. Raghunath Boradkar

Mrs. Nalini Purushottam Vaidya will be completing 82 years in February 2012.She is an active member of the Mahila Mandal, Stays in Pune. Here is her contribution as was told to me.

Another four months and Mrs. Nalini Purushottam Vaidya will be completing sixty two years of her happy married life. She has fond memories of this period that they have shared together and whenever she recalls them her heart is filled with joy and she feels immensely happy. The memories are as fresh as ever.

One particular memory that she cherishes and relishes belongs to her early married life when at a young age of twenty she entered the large joint family of Vaidya as a newlywed. The family had three elder brothers and their wives, an unmarried brother and a sister and of course elderly parents. As she says she was a little apprehensive initially as she was not used to staying in a large family. Her own family consisted of only four people as her married brothers and sister had settled elsewhere. The apprehension disappeared soon enough and she did not even realize how the days flew in the house which had now become her own.

It so happened that one day her father in law suddenly announced that Sou. Nalini will be in charge of the kitchen and will do everything, cooking and all that by herself . As luck would have it, she knew  cooking and managed everything so well that her father in law was impressed and well pleased. So at the time of dinner when everyone was around he got up and said, Sou. Nalini has managed everything well and has passed her test with flying colors, and I give her a certificate of being an excellent House wife.’ As Mrs. Vaidya says, when she heard these words, her heart was swollen with pride. This truly was the day of utmost happiness for her .and she was overjoyed.

MR and Mrs. Vaidya stayed in a small house in Sadashiv peth for some time and then Mr. Vaidya decided to go to a small village near Vijapur with the idea of doing some business and so left, without completing his graduation. Mr. Vaidya had given her an idea about this so it was not a surprise. It was clear to her that she was to spend her life in the village which offered no facilities for further education or for learning any other skill. So she started mixing with the women folk and   started teaching them about the importance of family planning and creating in them a kind of social awareness.

As she says she makes friends easily .has no problem of loneliness, likes cooking and preparing various dishes and feels content when they are relished.

31. A mystical experience on her way to Kanyakumari

Contributed By: Dr. Raghunath Boradkar
Thousand Moon: Shrimati Sudha Anant Fadke, over 81 yrs. lives in Pune, India. 

According to her it must have been 1996 or 1997 she is not sure. She and her sisters decided to go to Kanyakumari for a picnic.. The plan was to go to Dharwad first and then to Kanyakumari. So they went there. Then they went to Bangalore and took a train to Kanyakumari. On way, when they reached Nagarkoilthey heard that there were riots and the train would not go further. As most who had boarded the train were locals they quickly disappeared and these three were stranded. As they were wondering what to do a porter appeared from nowhere and said come on I will take you to a Hotel. He picked up their luggage and took them to the hotel and asked the owner to feed them. He left telling them that he would come tomorrow and put them on the train. He appeared the next day morning and took them to the station and saw to it that they were on the train. When they wanted to pay him he was to be seen nowhere. They feel it was Swami Vivekananda who had come to help them.   For her a moment to be cherished.

30. Dattatray Darshan and Puranpoli

Contributed by: Dr. Raghunath Boradkar

Thousand Moon: Shrimati Padma Pandurang Bendre is over 81 yrs. Lives in Dharvad, Karnatak, India.

As she says she must have been 4 or 5 years old. She along with her older sister had been to Gangapur with her Parents. The parents both religious were there for a ritual, A Parayan (reading of a religious book) Of “Gurucharitra Pothi”. She and her older sister used to play together, go to school together and be in each other’s company most of the time. Their staple food was mostly rice.

It so happened one day that a rich man was offering Madhukari (food offered by well-to-do folks to poor students, pilgrims etc.) to all and was giving Puranpoli and rice etc. Her older sister suggested to her that she should go for Madhukari and get the Puranpoli. As she says she was very young and so did not mind or say did not feel awkward and went to get the madhukari. But then as luck would have it, looking at her the man offered her only rice as she was small. Disappointed she was back feeling bad and started eating the rice. But to their surprise a man appeared from nowhere and said ' You wanted Puranpoli isn’t it? Here it is, have it.' By the time they relished it the man disappeared. They felt it was God Dattatreya who assumed the form of that man. Lord Dattatreya gave them  'Darshan'.  This she considers the happiest moment.

29. Travelled widely in India and abroad

Contributed by: Dr. Raghunath Boradkar

Shri. B.S.Kolhatkar is 87 years old. He stays alone since his wife's death in 1995.He enjoys good health and according to him leads a tension free life. He has travelled widely in India and abroad. He has a large friend circle and spends his time playing cards watching TV serials and listening to music.

He retired from Indian Railways and was felicitated by them for an excellent service. That he says was his finest day.

But then he has nostalgic memories of his visit to US. He travelled in US alone though he was more than 80 then. He cherishes the memory of his visit to Phoenix Arizona, where he stayed with his granddaughter for 60 days. He describes these sixty days as the GOLDEN DAYS of his life.

He fondly remembers the programs arranged by the Maharashtrian community in Phoenix and has a high praise for them. He is very impressed by the friendly nature of Americans.

28. Dream fulfilled!

Contributed By: Dr. Raghunath Boradkar

Shri P.L.Vaidya stays in Pune. He is 88 years old.

Shri Vaidya feels that selfless service to society is the greatest joy in life.  He is open minded enough to admit that some may feel differently.

From 1946 to 1980 he stayed at Telagi near Solapur. It was a small village and had a Kannad Primary school. The school did not have a proper school building and so the premises of an old Maruti Temple and that too dilapidated was being used, and there were only two rooms available.

Shri Vaidya who was a R.S.S. volunteer started teaching English to the students. He narrated to them the stories of Patriots and Patriotism .He inculcated in them the love of sports too.

In1948 that was after Indian Independence that the school was granted permission to have classes up to seventh standard by the Local Board. The condition was that the local people should contribute Rupees 4500/- and if they did the Board would contribute Rs 18000/- towards the Building fund and build the school.

Shri. Vaidya took up the challenge and started collecting contributions from the local villagers. He organized Prabhat Feris along with the students to collect money for the school.. They collected Rs4200/-. Shri Vaidya added Rs 300/- from his own pocket to complete the sum.

The amount was deposited in a Vijapur Bank and in 1954 the school got the rooms as promised by the Board and Shri Vaidya was overjoyed to see them. This was the happiest moment of his life

His dream was fulfilled.

27. Herculian task to wake her up from her nap...

Interviewee: Ushatai (84 yrs), Interviewer: Vasant Kelkar (81 yrs) Date: Aug 18^th, 2011

Ushatai had visited Vasant Kelkar and his wife with her daughter at their Pune residence.

She has lived a happy fulfilling life. Although she had three daughters and a son she always secretly wished that she could give a brother to her elder son then all the siblings would have brothers and sisters. (What a noble thought!) One of her happy memories is when her younger son was born. She had gotten her wish and now the family was complete.

She also very fondly narrated an incident that happened when she had come home after delivering her youngest son. It was afternoon time and she was taking a nap. The neighbor had returned from running errands and wanted the house key that normally would be left with Ushatai for convenience of the other family. Ushatai was so fast asleep that the neighbor had to perform herculean task just to wake Ushatai up from her deeeeep nap.

Ushatai still remembers the incidence that brings a smile to her face even today!

26. Gita-Running Competition -By K.S. Ramachandran

Some of you, my fellow octogenarians of India, might recall how our country celebrated the Silver Jubilee of King George V’s reign in the year 1935. The metropolitan cities were all lit up and thousands of people went round the cities enjoying the festive celebrations. In fact, during those days, I remember our Young India Boy Scouts sang “God Save the King” in the evening every day when the Union Jack Flag was lowered for the night.

Yet barely four years later, in 1939, the same Scout group put away the Union Jack forever and replaced it by the Congress National Flag, and sang “Jana Gana Mana” instead. The mood of the country was changing and the anticipation of Independence began to dawn with increasing brightness.

It was in this background that in 1941, an ICS officer named Sri Ramachandran (a namesake of mine) reckoned that the country would gain its freedom in the year 1957. It was daring of him to openly speculate on the withdrawal of British imperialism, even while he was serving it.

He said that he would give a prize to the boy who would be very good in his studies as well as in sports. To pick out the best boy under these criteria, he wanted to hold a competition in reciting the Bhagavad Gita. The three best candidates would be asked to run a 1957-yard race. The length of the race track was to signify the year of India’s liberation. The ultimate winner in that race would get the “Gita-Running prize,” which he was instituting.

It was an eccentric idea. All the boys of our school declared it a crazy and impossible combination.

I was the favorite of my Sanskrit teacher. He ordered me to participate. While I figured I could manage the recitation part of the competition, I was under no illusion of making a mark in running races. I was quite roly-poly, nicknamed “Glaxo Baby” by my classmates and must have looked like a young elephant. I thought I would be quite ridiculous in any running event. But the teacher brushed aside all my pleadings and forced me to join.

True to everyone’s expectations, I did well in the recitation event and qualified for the race. The other two successful boys were Ramaswamy and Subramanian. They were regular sportsmen, whose specialty was long jump and high jump respectively. The fact that they were not winners of running races was no consolation for me, as they were lean and lanky.

“More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of,” I told myself. I prayed that I might put up some semblance of competition to those two guys.

The date for the race was fixed about four weeks after the recitation competition and it was to be on a Sunday. My two classmates used to go to the school playground every morning and practice running, trying to keep trim and fit. They consulted the School Physical Director (PD) about the right pace, the right breathing technique and the right strategy and so forth.

I did no such thing, as I knew that all this was futile in my case. I never believed I stood a ghost of a chance of winning.

Come the fateful D-Day, I noted with satisfaction that there were no spectators except the PD and a friend of his. The PD was tickled pink to see me bravely showing up for the running race. He grinned widely and said a few pseudo-Sanskrit words, invented by him, pretending he was wishing me all the good luck in the world in that classical language. I let it pass.

Soon the whistle was blown and the Great Race started. A very bizarre idea suddenly took possession of my mind. “Anyway I am going to lose, why not lead for a few laps by a good margin?” So I broke into a gallop, of which a thoroughbred Derby horse would have been proud.

Startled by the wide gulf developing between them and me, Ramaswamy and Subramanian came charging up behind me. The PD had said that there should be only a yard or two between the competitors and that the final burst of energy should be reserved for the last 400 yards. They caught up with me at the first hundred-yard line and fell in step with me, keeping the gap exactly one yard and two yards respectively, as prescribed.

I was delighted to continue as the lead runner even after the first hundred yards, even if the pace of our running was rather pedestrian. This was more than what I had expected. Every now and then, when I had regained my breath, I made a sudden and uncalled for sprint for 20 or 30 yards, faithfully mirrored behind me by my two friends. 

In this manner the uneven, jerky race was run for three rounds.

The last four hundred yards were to be the most sensational. Who would overtake whom? Who would cross the winning line first? This eventful stretch would decide.

I was still in the lead and wanted to speed up to maintain it. But my legs had got accustomed to my lumbering jog of the first three rounds and would not change their pace. I got resigned to the idea of losing in the final stretch.

But, lo and behold, how amazing! My contestants discovered that all their measured steps and their four weeks of training had gone haywire by my unorthodox fits of trot, canter and gallop. Their legs also refused to obey their fervent wish to accelerate. No speeding up, no overtaking! We finally crossed the winning post in the same order in which we began the race, with me in the lead!

The PD declared that he had never seen a running race finish in such slow motion as he had witnessed that day. In his opinion, any tortoise or snail could have easily overtaken us. A most unkind cut, don’t you agree?

Some days later, at a ceremonial function, I was awarded the “Gita-Running Prize” costing Rs. 10. Two books of that value were given to me. To me they were priceless. They were Gandhi Ji’s “My experiments with truth” and Swami Vivekananda’s speeches. They still adorn my library in Gurgaon.

This was surely one of my least anticipated victories.  I recall this episode often, relating as it does to one of the most enjoyable periods of my life, namely my school days. And when I do, I cannot help seeing an underlying parallel between my willingness to attempt the seemingly impossible – and the growing momentum in those times to secure our country’s liberation.

25. A doctor was needed in the family...

Ganesh Joshi

Interviewee: Ganesh Joshi, Interviewer: Rohini, in person, Date: June 11^th, 2011

It was late afternoon in Mumbai around 4:00PM. It had been raining heavily for the past couple of days. I had explained my thousand full moon project to the Joshi couple and they were expecting me. I entered a simple living room with two chairs and two spreads by two different walls to sit on the ground.

Age: 82 yrs

Birth Place: Palgadh, Ratnagiri, India

Background information:  Ganesh Joshi lived in Palgadh till the age of 12 and then moved to Khed for further schooling. After 10^th grade went to Dapoli and then to Mumbai’s Ruyya college up to intermediate.  Since his elder brother had lost some of his new born children to Infantile Liver Cirrhosis, his father wanted him to pursue medical profession. So Gajanan chose to study Ayurved the ancient Indian Medicine in Pune India. His older brother gave him Rs. 5000 for his studies that were to last for four and a half years. He managed to save Rs. 1000 as he was frugal and lived in a shared room and cut expenses where ever possible. When he finished his school his brother had already made arrangements for him to start his own dispensary in Dapoli. Although he was a doctor, life was hard yet happy. Since his practice was in the rural area he had to walk for miles to go see a patient. At times he had to take a ferry, a bus and walk long distances. His fee per house call was Rs.15. He remembers have spent entire day just to go visit one patient and come back.

He practiced till the age of sixty and now lives a retired life with his wife of over fifty years.

After I collected all the background information was still looking for one particular memory where he would light up, become passionate and lose himself in the old times while narrating it. I got it when we were talking about the time when his children (two sons and a daughter) were very young. Ganesh Joshi was narrating…

I remember when my daughter, my youngest was three months old. She had gotten very sick with lose motions and vomiting. We had tried everything but nothing seemed to work. She became skin and bones as she could not retain any food in her stomach. The ladies in the house were very sad. I remember that night when I said to my wife “I don’t think she will see tomorrow” My wife started to cry…and I don’t know what came over me but I suddenly said we have to keep her on butter milk….and we did. That was the turning point! She started to tolerate little butter milk at a time and slowly returned back to health.

Ganesh was lost in bitter sweet memories and so was his wife. There was a peaceful silence in the room. It was still raining outside and the door opened. In came his daughter now in her forties….”We were just talking about you” His wife said to her daughter and everyone in the room visibly relaxed!

24. He walks with his head...

                                          Photograph of a rangoli done by

Gajanan (Bhai)

Interviewee: Bhai Kulkarni, Interviewer: Rohini, In person, Date: 12^th June’11

Age: 82 yrs

Birth Place: Shrivardhan, Maharashtra, India

When I reached Bhai’s residence, it was around 11:00 AM. It was a hot summer morning.  Bhai and his wife greeted me at the door with immense warmth and affection.  After the initial pleasantries, we all sat down, and I proceeded with my interview.

Bhai was seated in his comfortable computer chair and had the air of a king sitting on his throne. He and his wife were very enthusiastic about narrating interesting memories and anecdotes from their years of precious experiences.

Bhai lived in Shrivardhan till English-fifth grade, completed sixth grade in Roha, and moved to Mumbai where he completed his education till Intermediate college. He had to forego the opportunity to attend Medical College due to a shortage of funds. He accepted a job as a medical representative which later became his career.  

Till the age of five Bhai was a rickety child with a big head,  big belly, and skinny limbs. As a baby he used to move around in a peculiar way to overcome the lack of strength in his limbs; he would put his head on the floor first and then propel his body forward. This earned him a title of ‘the boy who walks with his head’ but later the name took on a different meaning as Bhai emerged as an intellectual with a passion for the arts and music. Other than raising a beautiful family and accomplishing a successful career, Bhai started discussion forums for seniors and invited medical experts to answer the questions and guide the group. He worked for social/voluntary organizations and arranged memorable musical and cultural programs. This brought him in contact with some renowned artists over the years.

The memory I have chosen to document here is the one when Bhai was living in Jaipur, Rajasthan. Jaipur Medical college would host a Medical conference every year. Bhai would participate in many different ways and one way was to draw big ‘Rangolis’ (Sand paintings) on the college premises as part of the inauguration ceremony exhibits that would accompany the conference. (Over the years, Bhai has won much recognition for his Rangoli’s from prominent personalities.) One year, a well known doctor from Australia was the chief guest at the conference. Bhai had acquired a black and white photograph of the doctor’s eight month old son and had decided to do that year’s Rangoli depicting the baby boy. Bhai did the Rangoli in color. When the Australian doctor inaugurated the conference he visited each exhibit. When he came to the Rangoli drawing of his Baby boy done by Bhai he was overjoyed to see his baby’s picture in form of a big Rangoli. He literally danced with joy to see the picture come to life and before moving on to the next exhibit he asked Bhai, “How did you know that my boy had green eyes?” That was an unforgettable moment for Bhai. He had simply guessed the color of the Baby’s eyes and it was a perfect match! What a coincidence……

A very fulfilling and Magical moment for this accomplished man who still walks with his head!

In Bhai's own words about his rangolis:

Rangoli Picture drawn by G.M.Kulkarni (top of the page), of the son of Australian Urosurgeon who had come to Jaipur for All India Urologists Conference. That Urosurgeon had a glimpse of his son after three weeks. He was very much surprised by looking at exact green colour of the iris of the child’s eyes. In fact the artist was given a Black and White Photo of the child. It was just a chance the colour of the child’s iris matched in his picture. This coloured photo was taken by that urosurgeon and he was kind enough to send a coloured copy of the child’s Rangoli Picture to me from Australia.

Please note the impression of sweater design, its stiching on the child’s shoulder and also the frill of the child’s frock around his neck.

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Rangoli Picture of a child Ram drawn by G.M.Kulkarni in Jaipur in the year 1960. Child Ram was in the arms of his mother Kausalya. But within 4 decades the original photograph was torn and only the remanant part is shown above. There was no coloured photography that time. So this a Black and White Photo.

Please look at the expressions of child Ram in his eyes and shaded portion of his hair.

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Thank you Bhai for sharing your great art...

23. I had the honor of worshiping Lakshmi-Narayan thirty three times

Maii (Kamal Vasant Medhekar)

Interviewee: Kamal Vasant Medhekar, Interviewer: Alka Medhekar at her residence, Date: June, 2011

Alka, Maii’s daughter-in-law jotted down the facts as Maii spoke.

Age: 82 yrs

Birth Place: Bilimora, Gujrath, India

My name is Kamal Vasant Medhekar knee Kamal Dattatray Deshpande. My father passed away when I was very young so I grew up in my maternal uncle’s house. Since it was a joint family I got used to being around a lot of people.  It was a good thing as my in-laws family was also very big. I was also in the habit of doing a lot of physical work. This also helped me in my life later on.

I got married in 1942. Initially it was very busy. We had a lot of responsibilities. But as time passes and the responsibilities were fulfilled life took on a steady pace…One day I had an idea that I wanted to honor 33 married couples what are called the ‘Mehuns’ in our tradition.

I mentioned my thought to my husband and he also liked the idea. We mobilized our resources and got to work towards the implementation of the idea. It happened in 2007. We invited 33 married couples for lunch and honored them by washing their feet and giving them gifts. I believe I had the good fortune of worshiping lord Vishnu and goddess Lakshmi 33 times. It was a grand family function and a touching ceremony.  It was deeply carved in my memory and I can never forget it…

I am content and happy to spend my remaining days with the help of such cherished memories.

[Note about 'Mehun': The Hindu calendar is a lunar calendar. Each lunar month has 28 days and is shorter than the Solar month. To adjust the lunar calendar with the solar calendar every three years, there is an additional month in the lunar calendar. This month is called ‘adhik maas’ literally means ‘an additional month’. This adjustment has a story associated with it. The additional month ‘adhik maas’ was very unhappy as it had no legitimate name. It took its complaint to God Vishnu. God Vishnu thought about the problem and gave his own name “Purushottam” meaning ‘best among men’ to the additional month and also directed the people on Earth to honor their daughters and sons-in-law as Vishnu and Lakshmi’s incarnations on the Earth during this month. As a result a lot of people invite and honor their daughters and their husbands or married couples in general during this month. Each such couple is called ’Mehun ‘]

22. 2000 Moons of J and Jay!

J and Jay

Contributed by: Jyoti Date: May 31, 2011

At 51 years of age, the eldest son, Mr. J. Jr. unveils the plaque dedicated to his father. His heart is full of emotions. A roller coaster of happy memories, the losses and the sacrifices, flood his memories and he is totally lost for words. He has to give a little speech at the function and it doesn’t make it a bit easy as each memory   clouds in front of his eyes and it is the most gratifying moment of his life! With all these mixed feelings, he delivers a speech which earns him applause and he is back in his seat with tears in his eyes. This memory of his father as a veteran is still fresh in his mind….

‘’ His father, a veteran and a soldier in the World War I in 1918, lived at Yonkers, New York after his services in the World War I, with his wife and sons. . He was the recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross, the second highest Award for services rendered during World War I.

 Post war, he worked as the chief Administrator for the Parks and Recreation Department for 40 years. The building is named after him for his unrelenting contribution to its upkeep.

The plaque dedicated to him in recognision of his contribution reads…

‘We dedicate this administration building in the memory of J.Sr. to whom recreation was one of the most important ingredients of life. Through recreation he expanded our horizons, stimulated our imagination and encouraged our creativity. He made the lives of our people more worth living tomorrow than they were yesterday. But above all, recreation to J Sr. Was People first, last and always.’  ‘’

Encouraged by the spirit of patriotism and service and lead by ideals of his father, Mr. J at 18 years of age enrolled himself   into the military, with a craze to kill Hitler in the World War II (1944/ 1946). He was commissioned to Philippines where he did an exellent job.   Having served his term, he returned and enrolled himself in college to complete his education. As though sensing his dedication he was now summoned for the Korean War (1950 /52). The war soon came to an end and returned  J back to his education and his high school  sweet heart Jay , who all along stood by his side, supportive and steadfast.

I spoke to Jay to ask about her most memorable moments and this was what came up. She had enjoyed the very romantic days during her high school with J when everything was possible and those were the days when they had lots of l fun and to this day they are united, devoted and doting octogenarian couple!

 She too now at 84 has unforgettable memories to share with J, now married for 64 years...

Her story is movie like when she met J first….…

At high School, J, 17 couldn’t take his eyes off Jay, 16 a beautiful and mischievous lasso’s .Jay, ever up to something could hang out with friends in the famous Ice cream parlor and maneuver salt and pepper shakers and do odd little pranks just to get the attention of J.

 J, tall handsome and football captain, was every girls dream. But J had eyes only for Jay.He, was always on her tail and did not miss any of the pranks either .Attraction grew and one fine day a little prank of peppershaker got them introduced .Then there was no turning back. The romance bloomed with the well kept secret of ‘the pepper-shaker- episodes.

The dashing Basket ball captain J and the coy pretty girl Jay were soon united in holy matrimony and are very happy to share the fabulous moments of their lives

With   Irish blood, J and Jay both are still full of life and verve, happy and content!

 He is a Medicare counselor with the State Health Insurance Program of Medicare Services for the past 24 years...Every Monday he is faithfully at the St Clare’s Department of Medicare Volunteers, helping people with their Medicare issues.

 He is so full of a young man’s spirit that, he sometimes even runs across the road and jumps the fence to get into his car in order to be with Jay as fast as he can!

When I first told him about this blog of ‘1000 moons’ and that I wished to write something for him, he was    excited, enthusiastic and cooperative. Jay too was eager and willingly shared some of the momentous memories for this blog!

Cheers to the couple who have treasured 2000 moons together!

(The names changed to respect privacy)

21. Faith in helping himself

Vaman

Contributed by: Jyoti  Date: May 31, 2011

Born in Ratnagiri, Khed, Vaman K Joshi is the fourth of the ten off springs born to Krishnaji and Ramabai Joshi.Very Sharp, intelligent and hardworking; he made his successful way up to the village high school, which was commendable in those days. With the desire for higher studies he migrated to Mumbai to live with his elder sister.

Times were hard and doing odd jobs to earn some rupees while going to college,   gave him an insight of true life, its struggle and the fight which one has to put up in order to make a mark.

Truly a self motivated man, he progressed in life and was gratified to be a civil engineer with the prestigious Bombay Municipal Corporation.

He progressed in his job and contributed in the office wholeheartedly.

 As a reward for his merit and hard work, his employers, the BMC, sponsored him to United States of America for a few days. This was wonderful and dream come true event, as it earned him a lot of respect   from his colleagues and family.

Starting from scratch and with the immense support from his wife Malati, he not only made homes for himself both in Mumbai and Pune but also helped his siblings settle down.

He, as the breadwinner and fender for his family, was happy to guide his sons to success in their careers.

He is a self made man not used to sitting idle.He is ever anxious, to keep up with the ever advancing world and its constantly changing technology.He inculcated in his sons the virtues of  self development.

The most gratifying time for him, was when he got his sons married and settled in their homes.

His ideal for life is ‘Charity begins at home.’ He still keeps faith in helping himself so that later he can thank God for making things happen.  

Today, he is an octogenarian, content to be living peacefully with his son and cherishing the success of his grandchildren.

20. The girl will ride in a chariot

Maii (Leela)

Interviewee: Maii, Interviewer: Rohini, in person, Date: 5/25/11

Maii called me today morning around 10:00 AM and said that she was feeling fine now and that I could go to collect the happy memory that she had promised. I was eager and was standing outside her door in less than an hour. The house was quiet and I could hear Buster barking as he sensed my arrival. Buster keeps Maii company during the day till the family returns home from work and school. Maii asked me to give buster a treat to make him happy so we could talk at leisure.  We settled on the couch in the big tiled family room.

Age: 86 yrs.

Birth place: Thane, Maharashtra, India

Background information: Maii was born in 1925, was one of the six siblings and spent her early childhood at Mumbai and did her schooling in Pune. Maii is quite frail and seemed more so today as she was recovering from an illness. She is an upright old lady with deep set eyes a sharp memory and an amazing capacity of finding common acquaintances. As I realized today she is quite a story teller too. The following is a story as narrated to me by Maii.

The girl will ride in a chariot

I was 16 years old then. My father was worried about my marriage. He was not sure how much dowry he would have to give. I was very thin even then and very aware of my ordinary looks. My older sister was very beautiful and yet my father had to give a dowry…it was a norm that time. It was around Christmas time, a palm reader came to our house. I clearly remember him even today. He was dark, was from the south, wore a head gear (pheTA) and had a white scarf with red border (long uparNa) and was carrying a stick. Since my marriage was uppermost in my father’s mind he called me and asked me to show him my palm for a reading. He looked at it very briefly and said to my father “do not worry about her marriage. It will be fixed soon, next month actually. But do not hold the marriage ceremony in February, which is not a good time for her. Push it out by a month and this girl will ride in a chariot!”
On hearing his words I was happy but I laughed at the chariot part. Here we were barely able to afford a Tonga (a horse cart) unless we had some luggage with us and he was predicting that I will ride in chariots.

But let me tell you something…what he had said came true. My husband came to see me while he was on his way to ‘Athani’ their village near Miraj. He said he was agreeable to the proposal. My father asked me what I thought, what could I say? And had I said no would my father have listened? No….I said if it is ok with him then it is ok with me too.

My husband's family suggested a wedding date in February but my father remembered what the palm reader had said and so postponed the date saying that he wanted me to take the Matric final exams scheduled in March….So I got married in April. I stayed at the village for a while he (Maii’s husband) was in Bombay. But I joined him soon and time went on. After about eight or nine years things started to change for us. He got promoted with a big jump in salary. There was no turning back from then on... We would travel in First class compartments initially then in Air-conditioned coaches and finally by airplanes! Those were the chariots the palm reader had predicted. These were the chariots for me…I always travelled in style with grace of God. But who knew it back then…I had even laughed at the palm reader's prediction... but only God knows what lies ahead! We don’t know. It is all because of good deeds from past lives….

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River Indrayani and three small children

I had a neighbor in Pune, who thought of me as her daughter. She had three small children. When her youngest baby boy was born her husband renounced the world and became a ‘sanyasi’ at Alandi, a holy city on the banks of Indrayani river. My neighbor was furious with her husband’s decision. She went to Alandi and fought with the Ashram's holy men. She questioned them on how they could induct a man into the hermitage despite his family responsibilities. The Ashram was helpless, since what was done was done, but they were kind to her and said that they would give her all the money that was collected in the temple on full moon and new moon. That became her sustenance...

I was nine then and we had gone to Alandi to receive my neighbor’s money. There was a bridge being built on Indrayani then. An engineer had come to Alandi on the project. He had two young children who were my age. So I would take my neighbor’s children 5 and 3 and would go to the engineer’s house to play. I was returning home one day. I had to climb down the brick steps, the kind you find on ‘ghats,’ then walk some flat land, and then climb up the steps again to reach my house via short cut. (You can imagine a very wide un-paved arroyo with steps on either side). I was coming home with my two little friends and as soon as I stepped down from the steps I heard a very loud roaring sound, I quickly turned around and saw an immensely huge wall of water approaching us very fast. In the blink of an eye I picked up the baby and we ran up the steps as fast as we could. Before I could turn around Indrayani had gushed past us. I was trembling and started to cry. We went back to the engineer’s house. He asked me to sit down for a while and came to drop me off the long way this time…
Once we reached home the engineer told everyone that it was due to my presence of mind and quick action that all three of us were still alive else no one knows where we would have ended up!

That neighbor was glad I had brought her children home safe and sound and I was glad we all were alive with the grace of God!

19. He can whistle a tune of any song.

                                                                  Ganesh

Interviewee: Ganesh, Interviewer: Gauri

My Father-In-Law is now 87 years old. I first met him after he had retired from government service but I heard from people around that he had a very honorable job. He is very smart. He could not pursue his passion for music for some reason, so he encouraged his kids to learn vocal and instrumental. His English Vocabulary is very good. My husband always gives credit to him for his command on English language and the support he got for his career in music. If somebody needs help in writing an essay or updating a resume, he is always there to guide. He can whistle a tune of any song.

He shared a memory about his nephew Harish who at that time was only 2 years old and was known to be a high-energy, rambunctious kid. One day when My father-in-law came home from work, a relative broke the shocking news that Harish fell off the balcony of their 2nd floor apartment in Andheri, a suburb of Mumbai while sitting on the edge. Everyone was devastated to hear this and rushed to his sister's house with their hearts in their mouths. They were expecting the unthinkable, but what they witnessed was a miracle – Harish was hale and hearty, playing with his toys. He was extremely fortunate to have fallen right between a concrete water tank and a rock but landed in the soil made especially soft by the recent rain showers, so all he suffered was a minor bruise. One can imagine the relief in everyone's heart and the experience of a divine power looking after the family. My father-in-law can never forget this incident. He always puts his Family first, always worries about the members who are away in different countries. He is always proud of the achievements of his family members. We all love you Baba-My Father-in-law.

18. Teaching Sanskrit

                                                            Suneeti
Interviewee: Suneeti      Interviewer: Gauri

It's a great honor to write about my Mother-In-Law whom I refer to as Aai (meaning mother). Her name Suneeti which means a person with good moral character and wisdom really suits her. She is always there for anybody to help and guide in whatever way she can. There were many untimely deaths in her family including her father's and elder brother's, so she had to shoulder the financial responsibility among other things. She started working at very early age, guided the youngsters in the family to be successful in life and was a beacon of hope for all.

At her current age of 83 also she teaches Sanskrit to high school students, plays carrom with her friends, tries to be physically and mentally fit and is always ready to learn new things at every possible opportunity. She has taught me how to play Table-Tennis. My husband is a Hindustani Classical singer. She taught me how to play a musical instrument, so I could sit with him on the stage instead of just doing the back-stage work.

When I asked her about one good memory about herself, she found it hard to think about a single one since she has had numerous wonderful experiences. She promised to get back to me in 2 days. Since she is always interested in academics, she remembered an event from college. She took an exam with six other classmates. It was pretty difficult, so everybody was scared about the results. To make matters worse, somebody came to her house on the eve of the result announcement and reported that none of the candidates had passed the exam. She was really upset and broke into tears. Her father got mad at her and asked her to stay optimistic. The next day the results were out and lo and behold, she was the only one who passed with flying colors! She has cherished that memory ever since.

Aai is a great Role Model. She is a big support to our family. I wish her a very good, happy and healthy life. We all lover her very much.

17. In those days going to Delhi, was like going to the Moon today

Vasant (Bapu)

Interviewee: Bapu, Interviewer: Rohini, Via: Phone, Date: May 18/11

Today is Full Moon, a very special day for Bapu, my father. Today’s full moon is his 1000^th!  Thousand Full Moons...What a land mark…I am very fortunate to be able to document one of his happy memories for my project on the actual day of his Sahasra Chandra Darshan (viewing the 1000^th moon).

Age: 81 yrs

Birth Place: Ratnagiri, Maharashtra, India

Background information: Bapu grew up in Ratnagiri.   He, a son of a school teacher, grew up with three sisters. His mother had passed away when he was very young. A self made man indeed!  He completed his schooling at Ratnagiri and went to Bombay for higher education. Worked for the defense lab, completed his Ph.D. and worked at a big company in Delhi till he retired. He is certainly a scientist at heart with a variety of other interests. He has raised three children and is actively pursuing his linguistic and literary interests.

Rohini: It’s a big day today, what did you do?

Bapu: I just saw the moon! It has been cloudy thus far, but I had told your mother that I will be able to see the moon and surely I did.

Rohini: Great! So have you decided what story you want to share today?

Bapu: Yes… It was when I had just graduated from college. I had enrolled myself at the employment exchange and was waiting to hear from them. My father Dada said
I should go back to Ratnagiri and accept the job to teach at my school where Dada also was a teacher. He informed me that there was a vacancy and they would gladly offer the position to me. I contemplated for a while and told my father that I will come but with condition, if and when I hear from the employment exchange, I will leave. I even wrote a letter to the school principal. My condition was accepted and I taught for the entire month of July.  During the ‘Ganapati’ vacation, I had planned to return to Bombay. But the night before my departure, I received a telegram that my interview was scheduled. That worked out perfect.

I was interviewed and was selected. My posting was in Delhi! Where I came from, in those days going to Delhi, was like going to the Moon today. The news travelled very fast, “School master’s son is going to Delhi.” As if the Almighty picked me up and put me in Delhi…This was even included by a famous author (PL) in his book…of course in the story the names were changed.  Now since I was going to Delhi, one of my aunts, who had been waiting to visit her nephew in Delhi, decided to come with me along with some other folks. When I went to Bombay Central station that day, to leave for Delhi, the entire community had come to see me off…It was a joyous occasion. So many people!  I can still see them, I can tell you even now, the names of all those who had come (and he did list many!!!). I can clearly see their faces and expressions…yes it was a happy day…......

We talked for a long time after that…and I became a recipient of a treasure trove of memories…

16. Guiding many people to health the Yoga way

Sadashiv (Tatya)

Interviewee: Sadashiv (Tatya), Interviewer: Rohini, Via: Phone with help from Shekhar, Date: May 12/11

I had called Shekhar, Tatya’s son-in-law, and had requested him to assist me with the phone interview with Tatya in case we had trouble hearing each other, and Shekhar graciously agreed.

Age: 88 yrs

Birth Place: Chachana, Maharashtra, India

Background information: Tatya did his schooling in Chiplun and moved to Bombay to find work. After doing a variety of jobs in construction, in a mill, in a government ration office, he settled in Indian Railways from where he retired after over 35 years of service. He expresssed thankfulness for being able to do volunteer work (for RSS) while fulfilling his responsibilities on the job. He has raised three daughters and written a book on Yoga that has been translated in to English and four different Indian languages.

After enumerating many general happy instances, Tatya narrated the following story when he was asked how and when he started serious yogic studies:

When I was in the Railways, I had gotten ill with some stomach ailments. I met a Yoga Guru who suggested that I attend and try his classes. How my Yoga Guru turned to yoga is also an interesting story.  My Guru Shri.  Dixit also used to work for the Indian Railways. He had Psoriasis and hence was shunned by his co-workers because of his skin condition. He requested a transfer from his boss and moved to a remote forest area where a railway track was being laid. He met a sanyasin (a person who has renounced the world) who cured him completely of his skin ailment by teaching him Yoga. So when Shri. Dixit asked me to attend his Yoga classes, I went to him and as expected my stomach ailments were gone. I decided to learn Yoga from him and pursued it for next 12 years. I started my own Yoga classes in Sikandarabad, and did a lot of research on Yoga methods while I was in Pune. This lead to a book on ‘Sookshma Yoga’, a technique of breathing and movement.

Tatya practices Yoga daily even today and is still guiding many people to health by the Yoga way.

15. Sledding down "Rose’s Hill” and building snow forts in our back yards...

Patricia

I am an 83 year old woman.  I am writing to tell about a happy time of my life.  I have had many happy times. But I guess my most memorable time would be as a child.  I grew up in a very small town of 1200 people.  It was  post-depression era, but life did not seem hard at the time.  We always had food to eat and a wonderful vegetable garden in our back yard.  We had many friends, in fact we knew everyone in town and all the adults looked after us children as if we were their very own.  The winters could be harsh, but then we had the fun of sledding down "Rose’s Hill” and building snow forts in our back yards.  Our family played cards and board games indoors in winter.  (No televisions then).  I was 13 when World War II began. I remember that as a very patriotic time.  We bought defense stamps and collected tin foil for the war effort.  Many American men volunteered to go into the service of their country, and many gave their lives to protect our way of life.  Even fathers with children served.  Such happiness when the war ended and our loved ones came home!

I do not have any outstanding stories to relate, but I do know that I was fortunate to have been raised in a small town and was taught good values.  Place of birth, Moundsville, West Virginia.  Grade school and High School there and then moved to Phoenix, AZ in 1947. Completed nurse's training at St. Joseph's Hospital in 1950.  Worked many years in OB/Gyn department. I especially loved working with mothers and newborn babies.