61. Shower of Pure Joy

Thousand Full Moon: Shrimati Sushila M. Paranjape (84+)
Contributed by: Dr. Raghunath Boradkar 

Shrimati Sushila M Paranjape Lives with her younger sister in Pashan Pune. She is 84 but hardly looks her age. She spends her time chatting with her sister and reading books

Here is her account in her own words, which she calls  Anand-Varshav .

It so happens that sometimes you feel very hot and uneasy and somewhat later there is a mild drizzle and a cool breeze that takes away the ill feeling and calms down the mind. A similar thing happened in my life. From 1955 to 1957 I was under a malefic planetary influence of Saturn [Sade sati] and nothing good seemed to happen. There were all sorts of obstacles in my appearing for the Final B.A. Examination. Destiny had it that I should get my B.A. degree in November 1957 and its then that I got it.

My elder sister was a Maths and Science teacher in a school in Nasik. She was B.Sc B.T. and very popular amongst students. There was a vacancy for a Physical Training Teacher [generally called P.T. Instructor] in her school and they wanted to fill the post. The Principal of the school was a very nice man and he offered me the post in his school if I could get a Physical Training Diploma from the Kandivali School of Physical Training. That was a time when Arts Graduates like B.A.B.T. or even M.A.B.T. were not in  demand and many were jobless.

I there fore decided to get the Physical Training Diploma from the Kandivali School and applied for the prospectus/information and obtained it. The Kandivali School was the only school that offered a Diploma in Physical training, in whole of India. It was Government Institution from the time of the British and was a well renowned school. The Principal, Vice Principal and a few Professors were British till 1950. The school was known for its strict discipline .The course offered was from September to May.

The school was in Kandivali West and was situated on a Hill slope. It had beautiful surroundings and was a scenic spot. Teachers from all over India used to come there for training. Most of the trainees used to be on Deputation and their expenses were borne by the institution .Very few teachers opted for the course at their own expense.

Admissions were given after testing the Physical Ability and some physical skill. The candidates were merit listed after the tests depending on their performance. Some of them received a the stipend. I found out what physical abilities and skills they test and started practicing.

A medical certificate of physical fitness from the Civil Surgeon of the District was to be submitted along with the admission form. I was really physically fit but was under weight. I was 23 then. I consumed lots of tonics to increase my weight.

I was overjoyed when I got admission for the course. This time the course was from August to April. We all appeared for the physical ability and skills test by the end of August. I did well in the test. But there was a Marwari and a Punjabi girl who were better than me and they had really done well. After the test I applied for the stipend the next day as I knew that it was mandatory.

It was September 24^th a lucky day for me. Before the lecture the Principal Shri Kothiwale came to the class and he read out the list of students who had qualified for the stipend. Out of 20 girls two had received the stipend, me and the Marwari girl.

As a matter of fact I was third in the merit list. The Marwari girl was first. The Punjabi girl was second and I was placed third. I and the Marwari girl had applied for the stipend but the Punjabi girl did not and that was to my advantage. Had she applied I wouldn’t have gotten the stipend. Luck had favored me at last.

The stipend was 40 rupees a month and the money was my own. Now I could pay for my expenses. The greatest satisfaction was that I was able to complete the course on my own without any aid from anywhere. This was a moment of Joy and I remembered a Marathi poem Anandi Anand gade ikade tikade chohikade.

Shrimati Sushila M Paranjape

B.A.B.Ed. D.PED