My Grandfather

It has been really long since I posted on this blog. Actually in mean time, I was searching for a persona whom I can describe here. After my hibernation, I have decided to pen down my maternal grandfather.
Sometimes we wonder how and why someone make sense in one's life. I was just two, when my grandfather had expired.But I still remember those my childhood(wrong usage of childhood, in fact babyhood) days when my grandfather used to come to Jalgaon and bring something for me and my other siblings. Even though my aunty's children were very close to him, he never showed that thing while being with us. Finally parent's love is inseparable and indifferentiate. People will wonder how I can remember the things of the age 2 . But , the reality is there are impacts which certain people make on your mind and you never forget those things and preserve them for rest of your life.
During pre-independence days, my grandfather was Diwan in the village. During British days, Diwan was like a government servant and used to play a leader role. Even though my grandfather was serving Britishers , he was loyal to his village and because of that people in my village Waghod, still remember him with love and respect. My uncle and my mother are not known by their name, but children of my grandfather, such was the respect for my grandfather. During those days , he did number of social activities , establishing from a school to hospital and making the village a great place to live. My grandfather was famous not only in his village , but also villages around it.My father agreed for marriage with my mother when he heard she is daughter of him.
When I was a year old , my grandfather had given me an elephant and I still have a vivid memory of that beautiful toy elephant which is my favorite animal too. The way he was lovable person and had always avidness to talk to his grandsons , he was equally hard towards people. But in all and all, everything had clear justification , so nobody ever felt bothered about his behavior. I still hope if he would have lived for some more years , then it would have been really blissful for us.
On the day when everybody in India was expressing their shock and grief over assassination of Prime Minister , Indira Gandhi, my family was in utter shock of my grandfather's expiry. It was major loss to my family and my village.If my memory is not wrong and I was ignorant of all about happenings at that age, almost whole of the village was at cremation. May his soul rest in peace.

Pappu

( This photo was taken when Pappu met me last time in June 2006)





Today, I talked to pappu on phone. Last time I met him during my Jalgaon visit in June 2006. He is my childhood friend. We are almost of same age and there are lots of differences between us. But certain common bonding between us , keep me attached to this person. I consider pappu as my best selfless friend I ever got in my life. We did the schooling together , he was a year younger to me , but we never felt like that since we were together for almost 8 to 9 years from his birth to till third standard. During that time we had developed common interests , like playing marbels , cricket and carrom. Marbels was our most favorite past time , in fact it was hot game during those days in colony as my brother was the king of it. Playing marbels with cards was just another form of gambling and we used to fight like anything.

At age of nine , we moved from our rented house to new rented house. The new house was just one colony away from the old colony house. Even though it was small distance, it changed the things drastically for both of us. As I grew up, I became serious with my studies and was going to old colony occasionally. The only time , I was used to be there , was during my summer break. And that was the golden time of my life as we never used to be at home for whole day. Pappu, me , Ashok, Amit , Amey all were used to move around the ITI(Industrial Training Institute) jungle which was closure from the colony. That Jalgaon summer , with sun giving you all sorts of trouble to live normally, we were used to be the most fearless gang. The major part of the day was going in playing marbels and cricket. Slowly cricket was converted into Hide and seek. I swear , we made the colony a live match stadium with our vicious voices and noises all the time. When people used to sleep peacefully, we were the culprits who were not allowing them to sleep properly in those summer days. Hide and seek took the place of all sorts of game slowly. With the increasing popularity of game in colony, it was not restricted to we five or six people, but players increased to around 20 when we allowed girls to play with us. How altruistic attitude we had those days?
All this lasted for very short time as my parents started taking my career seriously and told me about the seriousness of education. The interest in studies overwhelmed the enjoyment with friends. Slowly , I left going to the colony and was used to be there only during Ganpati Puja days. Pappu, was losing his interest in his studies as he did not get proper guidance from his parents. At one side , I was topping the school in every standard , Pappu was not even properly passing the subjects and he was just becoming push over for next standard. Around his 8th standard when I was in ninth, I told him that he should take the studies seriously. I decided to make him stronger in his weaker subjects and gave him some English Grammar lessons. Somehow he cleared his 8th standard , but he failed in 9th standard. His failure made his parents serious about him. And they made him to join my father's class. But he was never concentrating on any subjects as he was the person who was never bothered by the education's success or failure. And true to this norm, I tell you people , never judge anyone based on his success or failure in life, judge him by his nature as a human being. Pappu was never bothered about his career since he never compared himself with anybody. That was the best thing I found with Pappu. He had his own ways to live the life. He never thought of competing for anything and with anybody. He knew certain things had to happen in the life, so they will.
On one end, when I was doing good in schooling, I was becoming unsuccessful as a good human being due to my shear arrogance while the case was exactly opposite with Pappu , he was immensely popular in colony since he was the helping hand to anybody. I have not seen Pappu saying "no" to anybody after asking him for help. I consider Pappu as Narayan in Waykti aani Valli(By P.L.DeshPande).
After my 12th, I joined COEP and almost lost touch with Pappu. Even though , I was going to home during break, I was meeting him hardly. During my first year of engineering , he joined Private ITI as his interest in electrical stuff had grown. During my second year summer break, I met Pappu. I asked him about his studies and he as always told , he is not studying , but he is more interested in practical things. During the talk , we touched upon a topic on synchronous motors , and tell you people , I was defeated as I was not even learnt about synchronous motors. He talked to me on that topic for almost an hour and told me everything from principles , how he was designing it. I was aghast. I never meant anything here to compare with Pappu because I knew he was more practical person who felt that books were not meant for him , but whole world belonged to him.
After my engineering , I joined Patni Computers and was hardly going to Jalgaon , but whenever I went to Jalgaon, I did meet Pappu who had grown up now with responsibility and understanding. He had completed ITI successfully and had joined a small firm in Jalgaon along side he was helping the people in repairing their electrical stuffs e.g. Mixer, lighting in Diwali etc. and that too for free of cost. During one of Diwalis, my mother told me to call Pappu. I asked her the reason. She said to repair the lighting. Can you believe it? How much my mother had faith on him rather than her engineer son :-((? But I asked her there was no need when her own son could do the things. Even though I repaired the stuff, my mother still did not believe that I could repair more complex stuff( may be I am not). Later whenever she faced problems , she called him (as I was never at home :-)). With the search for money and success, people lose their old buddies and mets. How selfish is this life? Pappu is still popular in colony , not only old colony, but even in my existing colony. He is true Narayan who never learnt to say "No" to people who sometimes tried to take his advantage. He just helped anybody whenever he was asked for any sort of help.
Now when I am in US and feel lonely sometimes, I remember my old buddies and the image Pappu created in my mind, is still so crystal clear that I think I can not describe him fully in words. Due to time constraint , I have to finish this blog and I owe my most of the success to my family and my friend Pappu. I hope to meet him when I will be back in India during my next fall break in December 2007.

Midwinter, Deserted Hill Station

I see you every day
walk barefoot on the frozen ground
I want to be your friend
But you look the other way

I see you every day
Go hungry in the bitter cold
I'd gladly share my food
But you look the other way

I hear you every night
cough desolately in the dark
I'd share my warmth with you
But you look the other way

I see you every day
Pass lonely on my lonely way
I'd gladly walk with you
But you look the other way

-Ruskin Bond

Writing

Wow!! This is amazing experience while writing something in the Food lounge while sitting on the bench and thinking something different about writing. The ideas do not need words all the times , but the expressions should be strong enough to make the ideas to flow from your side. It has become a habit of eating a cheese pizza for me now , but I can not help out since I am not cooking yet. University has provided amzing experience which I was always seeking for. The noesis to revive myself in the sea of knowledge is great.

Ban on blogs

The idea itself seems such an extraordinary hopeless and unimaginative that when it was really implemented , lots of bloggers in India were annoyed (including me).Good to see that http://yogsma.blogspot.com is opening so fast and I am not getting the message Page cannot be opened.

Searching for the truth

There are two things which are making me to rethink my life's vision.But i am considering myself the most confused person at this moment.I have lost myself in the mist of mysteries , so searching for my incognito identity.It is not that I am not directing myself towards my goal.But I am seeking for the truth which will make my life to worth.
The two things i mentioned above are Rang De Basanti and October Sky.Both will define my truth and my goal in coming days.So till then keep searching for the truth.....

Another Triple Ton

Day 4
Just Waiting for the moment ...Sehwag gonna bash it again. Make sure your fire crackers are ready to burst in the air. Last Year it was Multan and now it is Lahore. The flat wickets have backfired Pakistan and the melodramtic test match is nearing to a draw which saw more than thousands of runs. Another Triple Century..only Indian who scored triple century , only indian to repeat the feat. Tendulkar must learn from his chella how to score the triple centuries. The genre of Sehwag's batting in this test will outclass his one day batting. Raring to go and make it a day again .
Come on Sehwag.....247,248,249,250................298,299,300.
Day 5
The rain washed out hopes of another triple ton on last day. I was upset with this disappointing result. The result was not going to change . But the opening pair partnership and Sehwag's triple ton were missed out from another encyclopediatic lines. Anyhow we have to live with the reality and Sehwag and Dravid displayed great batting abilities .

Countdown for Faisalabad Test....