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.