MY INSPIRATIONS IN
# My Grandfather –
Dr.
R.S. Arjunwadkar
-
Sanskrit pundit,
Doctor by profession, Ran a photography lab, Had the most beautiful
handwriting, Did wrestling as a hobby (he was the person who could do the least
no of push-ups in his akhada – 1500), Had the perfect voice for singing while
playing a harmonium and at the same time fitted pistons and its rings on his
Java 250 hp bike, all by himself.
I have come across lot of people up till now, but have
never seen such a multifaceted personality in my life. My grandfather is the
source of ultimate inspiration for me, and will always be. He belongs to a
family of intellectuals. His father (my great grand father) was a renowned
Sanskrit scholar in Pune. My grandfather rose in terms of educational status by
seeking alms from other people. His determination is incomparable to anybody I
know today. After suffering through a severe paralysis attack, when the other
doctors had given up hope, I have seen him recover completely with his sheer will
and grit. Even the doctors were amazed to see him stand straight. Fate had
something more in store for him. After a minor attack, he was on the brink of
life and death, when he underwent a bypass surgery. He himself was amazed as to
why all of this was happening with him, because he was a man of principles, had
never even come close to any of the habits of drinking, smoking or eating
tobacco, for that matter, he still stays a die-hard vegetarian. He still had
that thing in him, with which he recovered again, and, to everybody’s surprise,
drove a two-wheeler up to the local bank for transactions. This he continued
doing till some years ago, when he himself said - I don’t think I can handle
this strain any more.
A person, who has indirectly been a constant source of
inspiration for me………in every task I undertake, everywhere I go.
I think he perfectly implements what Swami Vivekananda
once said – “Take up an Idea, Devote Yourself to
it…. And the Sun will definitely rise for you.”
# My
Parents –
Dr. Dilip V. Patwardhan and Mrs.
Medha D. Patwardhan
-
Both these people hold
the most important place in my heart. They were people, who had loads of
opportunities awaiting them in Pune, if they wanted. They did not rely on
ancestral backing our family has in Pune. I see them today as one of the people
who went out into the world, from a small place like Pune, to look what it has
in store for them. There were a lot of things in store; they had to go through
all of them. Going through the rough as well as the smooth patches, they
created a niche for themselves from a “nobody” to “somebody” in
the vastness of Delhi. Traveling to places changed their perspective. They
brought a change in their attitude towards bringing up me as well as my sister.
They have been friends of mine since quite a lot of years, and will remain like
that for the years to come.
I say – “Bringing up is what a person is”, and I feel very
satisfied to say that my parents gave me whatever I wanted, whichever
opportunity was needed for a complete personality development, all of it, at
the right time (which is important). What I am right now is solely because of
these two people. All my father says to me is – “Don’t
be an anybody, be SOMEBODY in life”
# Dr.
Subhash D. Awale -
- A Close
Acquaintance of our family, very well known to us. His story is very similar to
what we hear from our elders. He hails from a very small place called
Jaisinghpur, near Kolhapur in Maharashtra, India. In spite of being a person of
intellect, due to family background and circumstances, he was found it
difficult to attend the school, which was near his place. So, he had to go to a
school, which were miles away from his home. His mother used to prepare food
for him to take with him, which could last for a week. The fresh bread
(Bhakari) and vegetables used to go stale after a day or two. Then he had to
cross a river, waist deep, with his books and food on the top of his head. He
did not have any place to stay up at night on the other bank of the river. So,
one barber used to make him work in the day in his shop, and in return used to
allow him to sleep at night in his shop. He grew up to become an engineer from
Government College of engineering, Karad. Pursued his Master’s in Walchand
College, Sangli, and his doctorate in
He served at the central government in Delhi as a Joint
Educational Advisor (Technical) to the Government of India. He used to sit on a
committee to appoint the professors and directors of IIT’s and IIM’s in India. It was under his supervision that IIT Guwahati
and IIM Kerala came into being. After having undertaken a major educational
project in coordination with the World Bank and Canada, he held very eminent
posts with the Central Government of India. After rigorous rounds of selection
on the basis of credibility and background, he was appointed as the
Vice-Chancellor of Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar Technological University at Lonere
in the Raigad District
of Maharashtra. He is presently serving there as the VC of the same university.
And he has that rare quality within him, in spite of being a person with a
technical background; he is a very good singer and an actor as well. He
appreciates art in all its forms. The situation from which he has rose to
become such an important person is of special mention. Although he is an
important person for everybody, he still remains a person close to my heart and
our family, in all ways. His grit and determination took him places, and he
never backed out. He faced whatever came……with courage.
#
Manasi Patwardhan –
-
This innocent girl
from Pune, with whom I fell in love, is the person who made me realize what
love means. That it is not merely starting to like somebody, who you can brag
about in front of your friends. That it has to do with understanding the other
person. It has to do with making the other person realize what fun is there in
sacrificing, not for you, but for somebody else.
Having patience is one thing I learnt from her. With a
capacity of infinite patience, she has gulped down loads of whimsical and weird
reactions from my side, in many situations. That too, without saying a word. I
am sure to learn a whole lot of other things, as I get to grow old with this
wonderful partner of mine.