57. I don't want any thing more from life, I am content

Thousand Moon: Govind Parshuram Modak (84+)

Contributed by: Rohini

I visited Govind Parshuram Modak in the month of July around 5:00 PM in the evening. He lives in Mumbai with his wife, son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter. I had spoken to him on the phone before visiting and had explained the Thousand Moon project  to him. He was ready to share a point of contentment with me.

Govind lived in Chiplun in his ancestral home when he was young. He lost his father at a young age of 18.  After he moving to Mumbai and becaming well established in his business he wanted to get his ancestral home in Chiplun renovated. For some reason his elder brother whom he help in high regard was not in favor of the idea. So as per the wishes of his older brother the Chiplun house was rented out. Govind kept visiting Chiplun every year with his family and would end up living in some temporary accommodation since the ancestral home was rented out. One day some elders from the neighborhood talked to Govind and asked him why he lives in a rented place when visiting his home town. They even suggested what he had been thinking all along, that it would be better for the three brothers to get their own house renovated. Govind decided to talk to his elder brother one more time and this time his brother agreed to get the house fixed up. Govind went all out and got the place renovated with all the modern facilities similar to his flat in Mumbai. This renovation gave Govind a lot of satisfaction and contentment.

After we were done talking about his past we got chatting and I learnt that Indian Classical music is a major part of Govind’s life. He has taught and guided many Ph. D. (Music) students successfully. He also showed me many of his handwritten note books filled with notations of rare classical music compositions. He mentioned that many of his students have volunteered to get this work published but he says he is satisfied with life and does not want to do any publishing…He still writes all these rare compositions down every day for two hours, from 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM sharp.

I walked away admiring the quiet contentment which filled that flat in Mumbai.

56. Math is Fun, Math is Fun...

Thousand Full Moon: Indumati Sathaye (82+)

Contributed By: Rohini Abhyankar

I went to see Indumati in the late afternoon at her Pune residence. She was wearing comfortable cotton clothing and her hair was tied in a ponytail. A walking cane rested besides her. She shares the apartment with her daughter’s mother-in-law. Both the elderly ladies are looked after by their children and a live-in care taker.

Our conversation began by Indumati talking to me at length about her childhood, her father and how he was loved and respected by his co-workers and the people who availed his veterinary services. Then she turned to her own life and here is what I learnt:

 Indumati completed her college education after her marriage. She attended S.P. College as a science student for first two years and then switched to humanities and went on to earn B. A, B. Ed, and M. Ed degrees. She worked as a teacher for 20 years. In 1983 she was sponsored by her daughter and decided to move to the United States of America. After getting her degrees evaluated by the right authorities she got a job as a school teacher in Philadelphia.

It so happened that the principal of the school that Indumati worked at would constantly keep an eye on Indumati’s class. Always did her rounds when Indumati was teaching. She probably was a little skeptical about this lady from India. The principal would not let up. Initially Indumati did not mind this at all. But as time went on She wanted these rounds to stop. She somehow wanted to assure the principal that she was a competent experienced teacher.  After giving the situation a lot of thought Indumati resorted to poetry! She composed the following poem and presented it to the school principal. It worked like a charm and the principal stopped her rounds of Indumati’s class room.

Here Is her poem…enjoy!

           Math Song

                                                     Math is fun, Math is fun,

It is easy to study and learn

Math is fun, Math is fun

Add, Subtract, Multiply and divide guys,

These basic skills will make you wise

If you don’t think about your future

You will be a dumb creature!

What’s the use of education?

Schooling and taking examinations?

Math is fun, Math is fun,

It is easy to study and learn

 

If you don’t understand

Raise your hand

But do not stand

Or start talking with your friends

You know what makes talking…talking

Talking makes every teacher shaking…

Math is fun, Math is fun,

It is easy to study and learn

 

You know what you do in Math?

When you multiply you forget to carry,

And when you carry

You forget to add

That makes teachers mad.

When you divide and forget to subtract

That makes you flat.

But if sometimes you fall,

Do not feel so small,

Concentrate and try,

But do not cry,

When teacher explains

Pay attention

And do multiplication.

Math is fun, Math is fun,

It is easy to study and learn

In your life Math is every where

In the kitchen, shopping center or elsewhere

You see signs 20% off price

You cannot figure it and that’s not nice.

Teacher…Teacher…Teacher…Teacher

She is the care taker of the future

Discipline and Motivation,

Encouragement and stimulation,

Enthusiasm and cooperation,

With all these features

a teacher ensures your future.

Math is fun, Math is fun,

It is easy to study and learn

Math is fun, Math is fun,

 

55. Why should we live in other people’s country?

Thousand Moon: Lily (Ghanekar) Damle (86)

Contributed by: Rohini Abhyankar

I met Lily Damle at her residence in Pune. She looked bright and cheerful. It was obvious that she must have been a very good looking woman in her younger years. Lily Damle and my father’s eldest sister were good friends. My aunt is no more and since Lily was a close friend of my aunt’s there was all the more reason why I wanted to go spend some time with her.

Lily received me with great affection, asked me about my father and grandfather and my aunts. My grandfather was her teacher in grade school. She told me how my aunts and she would play together. She remembered attending ‘Samiti’ shakha under the chiku tree in Ratnagiri where she grew up. She told me that she got married in 1945 and lived in several different cities as her husband would get transferred periodically through his job with Central Excise. Of all the places she lived at she said she had liked the city of Sangali the most. Of the three sons she had the youngest one was the naughtiest of all, the memory made her chuckle. She told me that her father in law had a big house with many rooms but now she lives in this flat in Pune as it is more convenient. Then she asked me whether I was planning to settle abroad. Before I could answer she told me to return to India. “Why should we live in other people’s country? She asked making me speechless…

It was a pleasure spending the precious half hour with Lily. I had the feeling of having spent some time with my late aunt. As I was taking her leave she invited me and my entire family to the ‘maunda ceremony’ (a ceremony performed when a person becomes a great grandparent) and said, “Tell Mali (my other aunt who is now 85) that Lily is still the same”.

54. If I cannot feel other’s pain I do not have a right to be called a human being

Thousand Moon: Dr. Usha Kelkar (83+)

Contributed by: Rohini Abhyankar

I met Dr. Usha Kelkar at the Kelkar sammelan at Pune in July 2012. She was sitting at the end of the row wearing a light blue sari, resting one leg (that was in a cast) on a chair in front of her, her cane resting by her side.  She looked beautiful, intelligent and much younger than her age.  When I expressed my wish about getting one pleasant memory from her for the blog she promised to call me the following day after giving some thought to what she would say.

We started our phone conversation next day with the usual pleasantries and gradually came to the deeper philosophical musings and her not so pleasant memories. She talked with ease and heartfelt sincerity. I became her writer…

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I have always been fond of horses and dogs. The last dog I had was named Dash. I used to come to Pune for work and we used to live in Chinchvad, Dash was a big and strong dog and it was increasingly becoming difficult to look after him due to my travels. On one such occasion when I was in Pune my mother decided to give him a bath but something went wrong there. He had ticks and maybe there was an open wound but when my mother started to bathe him with mild soap (Dettol) and water he was greatly perturbed and since my mother could not hear very well she could not sense his discomfort and eventually he bit both her hands. She fell and became unconscious…

After her recovery we decided to give Dash up for adoption. A famous Rancher came forward and promised to take good care of him. But I regret that decision for I learnt later that he was tortured as a means to get him disciplined. I can feel what Dash must have felt, how he must have been totally lost…animals cannot even express themselves. I still feel his pain and I apologize to his memory and ask for his pardon over and over…

I have yet another prick. I was much younger then and in college. The way back home was by the side of a canal. There would be hundreds of butterflies on the bushes by that canal. I would take pleasure in scaring them by hitting the bushes with a stick. The man servant who accompanied me would plead with me not to do that and would try to scare me by saying that he would complain to my grandmother but I was young and foolish then. I still remember how some of the injured butterflies would flutter on the ground when ants would carry them away…I feel their pain now. I apologize to them and to my own ‘atma’ many times.

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Dr. Kelkar was speaking very earnestly. She narrated yet another incidence where one of her neighbor’s three year old son got lost on Girgaon chaupati but miraculously found his way back home!

Dr. Kelkar was experiencing the joys and sorrows of the past as she spoke to me. She later told me that now she has turned to spirituality and has written articles and books on the subject. She recommended a couple of books on Upanishads for me to read. And as I was taking her leave she summed up the gist of our conversation in these words, “If I cannot feel other’s pain I do not have a right to be called a human being”

53. Gold flowers were showered

Thousand moon- Shrimati Shantabai Narsinh Fadke
 contributed by - Dr. Raghunath Boradkar

Shrimati Shantabai Narsinh Fadke  81+ lives in Belgao Karnataka. Here she narrates three experiences where she thanks providence for saving her and her family’s life and in fourth she tells us about the moment that gave her the utmost joy in her life. Lets have it in her own words.

I still remember the chill that ran through my spine when I remember this incident. We had returned to Mumbai from a North India tour.  My grand son who was  about two and a half to three years old  used to be with me always. On this tour he was not with us. I was a little uneasy without him so I asked my daughter in law to send him by plane with someone  to Mumbai from Belgao. We  received him at the Airport.

Next day we were to go to Ghatkopar to my niece for lunch. It must have been eleven thirty or twelve noon and the local was not crowded  My grand son was on my lap. The local halted at a station .When I looked out I saw people jumping from the train and running. In a minute or so another local coming from behind crashed in to  our train with a terrific bang. Our compartment was lifted up  and caught between the engine and the girders supporting the electric cable. For a moment my heart stopped as I clutched my grand son. Luckily none of us was hurt. The co passengers who were as terrified as we were. helped us in getting down on the platform . We then just ran to safety even forgetting to thank those who helped us. I still remember them and pray God that they be happy. It was God’s grace that saved us.

The second incidence that I remember happened when we were on a south India tour. In all we were fourteen people  We were going to Bhatkal and passing through a Ghat  when suddenly brakes of our car failed .  My son in law Prabhakar was driving the other car and was following us. He noticed that our car brakes have failed. What he did was very courageous. He overtook our car , went ahead and then managed to throw a big stone on the road. Our car dashed against the stone the petrol tank was broken and the petrol leaked and Balukaka who was driving our car managed to stop it by steering the car in to a mountain side ditch and we heaved a sigh of relief. We then got the people to repair the car and proceeded further. The rest of the journey was uneventful. Again Grace of God.

The third incidence carved in my memory occurred when we were traveling from Kanjivaram to Madras[Now Chennai]  We started sometime in the evening. This time we were caught in a cyclone. There was a heavy downpour  and strong wind that could sweep  anything, Trees had fallen and the electric poles bent.   It appeared that our car was the only car on road, The cyclone raged for four hours. By midnight we reached a small village. The villagers understood our plight and gave us shelter in the village school. Next day we left for Madras again thanking the villagers for their benevolent act.

Nothing can hurt you when the Almighty protects you.

And now the day of utmost happiness and paramount joy in my life.

In Fadke family my mother in law had seen great grandson and they had celebrated the occasion by showering Gold flowers on him in a function called Mavand.

In January 2003 that is after forty years we had the opportunity to celebrate the same function again for my great grandson. There were four generations living under the same roof.

All religious rites were performed. A bowl of Bronze[Kase] was filled with clarified butter[Toop] and I saw the face of my grandson reflected in the Toop. This was a moment of Paramount joy. My eyes were full of tears but they were the tears of Joy.

A feeling that can not be put in to words. Gold flowers were showered as was done forty years back. What pervaded the atmosphere was pure happiness  and for me it was  a moment of glory.

Shrimati S.N. Phadke Belgao.

52. An early “Thousand Moons" Celebration

Thousand Moon: Sulabha Nadkarni

My name is Sulabha Nadkarni.  I was born in Goa and brought up in Mumbai.  At the overripe age of 47, I came to California to join my parents and my husband and kids followed the next year.  Ever since, we are in San Francisco.

I worked in US till I was 73 and after retirement, I have kept myself busy with social work and social life.  I am also an artist at heart.  So I have always kept myself busy in oil painting, Nirmal painting  (a specialty from Hyderabad) and other such things.  Recent passion is making quilts and knitting.

Last seven years, we have been making annual visits to India, meeting our family (more my in-laws) and friends and sometimes visiting new places.  This year, we went to India in January with return tickets for March 15.  Near the end of February, my younger brother-in-law called to tell us that our nephew (who lives near Amsturdam) is visiting Mumbai and we will have a get-together on March 9.  I was thrilled at the idea of meeting everybody at one place before leaving.  My younger sister-in-law asked me if I would sing at the gathering.  I declined to do so as my voice is not good enough anymore.  She also insisted that I wear a saree and NOT a salwaar/khameez etc.  Because, she said they had decided to take a picture of our generation.  My older brother-in-law was coming from Bangalore for the occasion.  I did not smell a rat!

My son took us to Bandra Otter Club, where the party was scheduled to be.  I was happy to see the family, all in-laws, their kids and grandkids.  We were having a good time.  All of a sudden, I was whisked away to another table where my older brother-law and my husband were already seated.  In a few minutes, before my mind could grasp what was happening, out came my beautiful sisters-in-law along with my younger brother-in-law carrying a big tray lit up with lots of tiny candles.  They came to my table and all started singing "Happy Thousand Moons" and then.....my mind LIT up!!!  I saw the candles set up to spell '1000'.  They had already planned to celebrate my 80th birthday (which actually fell on 6th July 2012)  I was offered a bouquet of flowers and a pedha.  Then my sister-in-law applied haldi-kumkum on my forehead.  What a Sweet Surprise that was !  I had never expected this to happen as it was just March.  But the whole Nadkarni Clan was in one room joyously celebrating my 80th birthday.  What better celebration could there be!

I was overwhelmed with happiness and the memory of the event will linger in my mind forever and ever.