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.

14. "...educating women and telling them to be vigilant about their rights and freedom"

Sindhu

Interviewee: Sindhu, Interviewer: Rohini, Via: Phone, Date: 5/5/11

I had called to talk to Sindhu’s husband and was not really planning on talking to Sindhu on this call as I knew she was recovering from a hip surgery. But as my conversation with her husband drew to a close she expressed the desire to talk to me. I was honored.

Age: 82 yrs

Birth Place: Pune, India

Background information: Sindhu has lived in Mumbai all her life.

“In fact, since the day my mother brought me home from the hospital, I have been here. In this very building… for 82 years! I was in apartment number 26 for 21 years before marriage and in number 25 for the past 61 years after marriage,” said Sindhu.

When I asked her to share a happy memory with me, what she said first is what I frequently hear from many of the folks I interview. She said she is happy that she has good children, loving family etc. When I navigated through the years a little she lit up on one memory, I wish I could have seen her expression but that is the down side of a phone conversation… oh well.  I had to be satisfied listening to her ‘lit’ voice.

She mentioned that during 1975 the then Prime Minister of India Mrs. India Gandhi, had declared a state of Emergency. It was the darkest hour in the history of modern democratic India. There was a lot of restriction on free speech; people were put in jails for raising their voices in protested.  Sindhu had always been an active social worker. She was an active Samiti member, an organization that led a grass root movement for the education and upliftment of women. In response to the state of emergency, Sindhu and 12 other women from the Samiti came together and formulated a ‘Bhajani Mandal’ a group that sings devotional songs. One of the group members wrote the devotional songs that in the true sense were ‘patriotic songs’ something that would wake up the masses! This group went from city to city and village to village singing and educating women and telling them to be vigilant about their rights and freedom.

“We even managed to collect some money that we donated to the Samiti for the welfare of women”, said Sindhu who sounded very content even over the hiss and noise of the long distance phone call.

“Yes those were happy times…” Sindhu quickly come back to the present. It seemed to me as though she did not want to linger in the past for too long.

I respected that sentiment and after a few more polite exchanges got off the phone.

13. "Welcoming Goddess Lakshmi..." and "The Police Salute"

                                                             Nana
Contributor: Shailesh
Background - Mr. R. K. B., also known as Nana is 85 years young man who has not only struggled with adverse condition in his early years, but has used adversity as an opportunity to setup a fledgling business all by his own and then at the later stages of life, gone on to devote his heart and soul and time and money for social activity and religious service.

He started his working life as a mill-worker. For those who don't know, the power looms of vintage central Mumbai were notorious for a lot of labour abuse and infamous for angry strikes by workers struggling to feed their families 2 meals a day. They say that when the going gets tough, the tough get going. It was in this era when he not only made a bold decision to quit service, but also successfully set up a jewelery business based on the foundations of fairness and transparency and powered by hard work and dedication. Once the business was in auto-pilot mode, this man turned his attention to social service. 26 July 1989 was a dark day in this man's native village - Jambhulpada. In the aftermath of torrential rains and flooding of the local river, he arrived at a town which wore a look of a deserted village - a place where local people were shy of coming back to their homes fearing a repeat of the flooding. He rebuilt his hometown - a  large part through his own personal finances and in many ways garnering support from government and samaritans. Today that village boasts of a full-fledged high-school, a medical facility, an old age home - for the uninitiated, these facilities are luxuries in most of rural India. He is currently spending most of his time and energy in re-establishing an old Ganesh mandir based in Jambhulpada - The Siddha-Lakshmi MahaGanapati Devasthan - and fortifying it into a facility where the village folk meet every evening for a devotional end to the hot and tiring day. In many ways, it has become the identity for the village now and attracts devotees from all over Maharashtra through the year, and especially on 26th December each year when a Ganesh-Yaag (divine sacrifice) is held at the temple.

I have this story narrated by this great son of God -

                                      "Welcoming Goddess Lakshmi..."

In Hindu religion, when a man brings home his wife after marriage, the belief is that Goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth comes to his home in the form of his wife. 'Arranged marriage' or a union which is decided by the elderly in the bride and groom's family was the norm those days as opposed to a couple choosing each other these days. In many cases, the bride and the groom got a glimpse of each other for the first time during the marriage itself! It was 1953. Nana was getting quite a few marriage proposals and had finally selected 2 possible brides out of which he had to choose one. He left the choice to his mother, as was the custom those days. His mother guided him to choose one Miss Indu  as the one with whom he could share his life. He agreed, and 2 of his brothers met Miss Indu's brother for discussions on the modalities of the marriage. In Hindu culture, the bride's and the groom's families have to gift each other's extended families with gifts, pleasantries and sarees, etc during the marriage. In the discussions, Nana's brothers disagreed to the modalities that were acceptable to Indu's brother. They decided to snap ties and returned and informed their mother. On hearing this, Nana was upset and informed his mother about his disappointment on the outcome. He was a long-sighted man and the reason of rejecting a proposal based on petty customs was unacceptable to him. His  mother agreed. He went to Indu's brother and informed him of his decision to pursue with the relationship. Despite continued disagreement from his brothers, Nana persevered and finally, got his way. Thus entered Goddess Lakshmi in his life - with whom he has shared last 55+ years of togetherness.

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Contributor: Ninad
                                                   "The Police Salute"
Nana was reading a newspaper one day when he read the news of his old friend Mr. J getting transferred to Mumbai as the Police Commissioner. Nana was excited by this news and decided to pay him a visit and catch up on old times. Thoughts were racing through his mind - from wondering whether he would even recognize him at all to what kind of tantrums will a high-flying police commissioner will throw. He finally decided to go to his office and see how it goes. When he arrived at the office, the commissioner was not yet in. He asked the constable outside his cabin as to when he would come and whether he could meet him. The constable, true to his duty, enquired if he had a prior appointment. Nana replied in the negative, but gave him his visiting card. The constable replied that the new commissioner was extremely strict and would most likely see him at the end of the day - when he was done with meeting all the people waiting to meet him, else probably would not even meet him at all! Nana decided to wait. Sure enough, sometime after that Mr. J arrived and walked right past him. The constable followed Nana’s friend to his cabin and handed over visiting cards from all the visitors. A few moments later, the constable came rushing to Nana requesting him to go in. Before Nana went in, his friend ordered the constable not to send anyone in till Nana was in. On entering the cabin, Nana's friend not only recognized him, but also showed a lot of warmth and offered him a seat. The two old friends revived old memories for some time and then finally bid goodbye. Nana came out and to his astonishment, found the constable saluting him! To top it off, he even escorted Nana to the gate.
In India, where a large part of the government establishment and related services is corrupt, rude and brash, getting a salute from a police constable was surely one memory to cherish for the rest of his life for Nana!

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Contributor: Shripad

                                                     "The secret donor..."

Nana spent a lot of time trying to rejuvenate Siddha Lakshmi Maha Ganapati Mandir in Jambhulpada. Obviously, the financial support required to carry out the kind of ambitious projects that Nana had in mind, was beyond a single person's ability. Nana, through his established business network, had a the uncanny ability and a strong divine support in finding donors who supported his aspirations financially.

One fine day, Nana received a phone call from one such donor. "I wish to donate a sum of money to the devasthan." - The donor. "Where are you?" - Nana "Jambhulpada" - donor "You will be able to donate in the mandir - you will also get a legitimate receipt for the donation." - Nana "I wish to handover the cash to you and only you." - donor "Well then, can you come down to Thane?" - Nana "Instead, can you meet me in Powai? At the IIT gate? Tomorrow evening..." - donor "Sure" - Nana Nana explained this to his family. Though Nana was overjoyed from the prospect of a donor, the family was apprehensive of possible fraud and felt it could be a trap set to trick him. Nana still expressed his desire to go. The phone rang again the next day - "Nana?" "Yes" "I am the donor. Can you meet me near Powai on the highway today instead of the gate?" - donor "OK. I will come.""I will be in a white car. Please come alone in that car." - donor "Sure" At this point Nana's family was dead sure of foul play and insisted Nana to avoid this request as either a prank call at best and as a serious threat at worst. Nana replied that he had the backing of Siddha Lakshmi Maha Ganapati and will still go there. He took his driver and parked near the decided place. Still in the car. Sure enough, a white car arrived and signalled. Nana's driver responded. The car door opened and Nana walked up - alone. "Please can you occupy the front seat?" Nana sat down. "Here. This is the money I wanted to donate to the mandir. Please accept." - donor Nana saw the sealed envelope. "How much?" - Nana "50 thousand" - Donor "And yes, I don't want a receipt from the devasthan. I assure you this is not black money and this money has not been earned in bad karma. My family saves money each year which we donate. Please do not disclose my identity to anyone. I am sorry you had to face a lot of trouble in reaching me" - donor  A little shaken, Nana returned to his car and spoke to his driver - "He says it is 50 thousand. I have not opened the envelope. Lets go to Jambhulpada immediately." They reached the mandir. Nana then called various trustees, and explained that he wanted to open the sealed envelope containing the money in front of the trustees. The trustees agreed, and opened the envelope and counted the money. It was indeed fifty thousand rupees. The trustees then brainstormed on the best possible formality to accept the donation legally into the devasthan, and then deposited the money into the devasthan bank account.

Nana still remembers this incident very vividly and has never disclosed the identity of the secret donor!  

                               

12. Once they set me up with a match on TV, I don’t need anything else!!

Ineterviewee: Shakuntala, Interviewer: Varsha, Date 5/6/2011

I visited Shakuntala Kaku while she was visiting her dear friend in my neighborhood. As I entered the house around 4 on a quiet spring afternoon, I found her enjoying an afternoon snack, reading a hand-written article. Her friend, my neighbor offered me some tea so I could give her company as Shakuntala Kaku doesn’t drink tea at all! We settled at the kitchen island with our respective tea / snacks and I asked her if she was ready for her interview. “Ask me whatever you want, I am prepared!!”.

Age: 81

Birth Place: Pune, Maharashtra, India.

Background Information: The only sister to three brothers, Shakuntala was third sibling, born in a well to do family. Her father was a lawyer by profession. She mentioned how there was music in the family and how she had taken some Violin lessons for a few years. She loved to play Badminton and belonged to the elite ‘A’ group. “It was very difficult to enter our A group” she reminisced. Like her brothers, she aspired to be a doctor when she grew up, but times were different then.. “if you educated your daughters very highly, then it was harder to find a husband who was even more educated!!” So in spite of having the grades to enter medical school she enrolled into a B.Sc(hons) curriculum. Her father encouraged her to do teacher training after that.  After marriage she moved away into neighboring state and lived in various places before settling in the city of Indore where they raised a family and Indore soon became “home”.

“I would say my happiest memory is that of watching my daughter’s success in sports! Like me, my daughter played Badminton. She was a good player and got good opportunities. She would always make the local papers and “Nayee Duniya” (local newspaper New world) would always carry her photographs on the sports page. We felt very proud of her achievements when she represented India in several tournaments abroad. She travelled to UK, Indonesia and Australia to represent India’s Badminton team. She also played in the Asian Games in 1982. “As she rapidly narrated her daughter’s successes she seemed to be reliving the joys of those years all over again. “Oh yes, those were good years! Even though my daughter wouldn’t let me attend her games, I came to know of all the details of all of her tournaments!”

I asked her if she missed sports after all these years and she promptly stated “Of course I do! But now with your TV and Internet I get to watch so much more! I watch Tennis and Cricket and had a great time watching the world cup cricket tournament last month. Once they set me up with a match on TV, I don’t need anything else!! “, she said with a laugh!

I had to wind up the interview as it was time for me to go pick up my son. It was nice to see a daughter picking up the same sport as her mother, making great strides into it and perhaps fulfilling aspirations of two generations in one shot! I would have loved to stay a bit longer and witness the long volley down memory court of this sports loving octogenarian!