Thereafter my grandmother took care of me. .My elder sister studied upto nineth standard and there after took up a job in a private medicine company.Also my elder brother, sold news papers door to door everyday , also sold campor, incense sticks, ubtan (a herbal powder ) during festivals like Ganpati, Diwali , to make ends meet.
My family use to make ubtan , a herbal powder which Hindus apply it on early morning of Diwali day , the ritual is known as ABHYANG sanan . My brother also used to make kandhils or lanterns using beautiful colorful papers and bamboo sticks . Those days there was a competition amongst boys for making the best kandhils and girls for making the best diwali faral.
After the exams the girls use to get involved in making faral or sweets such as Chakali, shankarpali, karanji , rava ladoo , besan ladoo etc. My whole family except me and my sister kumudidni were involved in working hard to make ends meet.
But as they say every cloud has a silver lining, there was Mhatre Anna saheb , a rich , industrialist and my grand mothers distant relative. He was helping us financially.
Mhatre annasaheb's real name was Narhari Krishna Mhatre. He was the owner of Mhatre pen industry, which made the famous "plato" pen at that time.My Grand mother was annasaheb's maternal uncle's wife , so she was addressed as Mami by him.So, he was my father's mame bhau or maternal cousin.
When my father was on the death bed , anna saheb came to see him and holding my father's hand in his hand promised him to take care of our family. My father was relieved and had a smile on his face . After, few days my father left for heavenly abode. As promised, annasaheb came to meet us and had a discussion with my grandmother and my mother's father . My mother on whose lap , I was sitting was sitting in the next room alongwith my other siblings. He handed over some money to my grand mother.
He had also given 50 rupees to my father when he had come to visit him, after the death of my father he asked my grand mother to come to his house every month and to take a particular sum of amount , every month. He would also give some additional amount on festivals like Ganpati, Diwali etc.
Sometimes , he used to ask his driver to drop us to our house in huge luxury car when we used to go to collect our money. I used to feel amazed and used to enjoy the ride all the distance was approximately of 5 to 10 minutes from Shivaji Park to Mahim .
My grand mother or aaji, was mentally strong , her life was full of struggles right from the time she was born, her husband, my grandfather, janardan, died in plague epidemic,when my father was an infant , he was left to care in her young arms. She started work hard, she had no home and therefore
She had take up shelter in annasaheb 's house.When my father grew up and became expert carpenter he came to Mumbai. He stayed in rented room in GIrgaon's popat wadi .
He then brought my aaji to his room and married my mother .After that , he shifted to mahim mumbai and took up a job in the royal naval dockyard .
He also took up independent work and had 3 to carpenters under him. They worked on his direction and instruction. Their attendance and salary were properly maintained in the register.His staff was very happy to work with him.
He had 3 children, 1 son ,2 daughters he build his own house on the land he purchased in his native place Alibag. Now he was almost settled, as a gentle man he was respected every were when he learnt that his wife was pregnant for foUrth time , he was very happy ,every body were happy to well come the new baby.
Now, my father was finally happy and content with life,after suffering a lot of hardships.He was a firm believer in God. He always thanked god and visited temples worshiped, did fastS , during chaturmas ie four holy months that starts from 'ashadi ekadashi the day Varkaris reach in Pandharpur in Maharashtra. The lord Vithoba yatra ie fair starts,when all vithoba devotees come to Pandharpur called " wari" a group devoted bring 'palkhi' of different saints like Dnyaneshwar ,Tukaram,Nivrutti' etc.
From 'ashad ekadashi the holy months starts and ends on kartik "ekadashi", during this 'chatur mass' holy four months ,so many festivals starts right from 'rakhi pornima to bhaubij' both related to the bnds between brothers and sisters.
In between them big festival like ' lord shree krishna janmashtami,,dahi kala , ganesh chaturthi , navratri ,dasara and diwali. During all this month's my father was busy with fasts ,abhishek, reading holy books 'granthas,'like kadhich and,Bhaagwat puran etc.
During festival he wore 'pitamber'made from 'reshim'ie silk. He had 'sacred ' thread called as janava ,on his body. His body had a built as he was doing a carpenter job. My grand mother and my mother too wore pure reshim (silk) sarees , while cooking ,during that time they all maintained strict
'sowale',very strictly, no one was allowed to touch them or interfere.
During, chaturmaas, particularly, the month of 'shravan'. My family was purely 'vegetarian' no mutton or chickenor even fish not even a egg was allowed. Similarly ,no onion , garlic, brinjal were allowed in the food. All this was strictly observed for the entire sharavan month. Not even a mention was allowed.
Once the food or naivaidya was offered to Lord Ganesh during the Ganesh festival in my house all sat to consume prasad on a a flat wooden table, called paat. The head of the family was allowed to eat the 'navaidya" . While other ate the prasad on the banana leaf siting next to him.
The food served to everybody was same. Before eating everyone washed their hands and first prayed to lord Ganapti and then sat to consume the food. No one was allowed to leave any remains in the plate (banana leaf) . My grand father was a good cook so was my mother. They both mad tasty food. They also made various items during the fasting period like Sabudana Vada, Vari rice , a particular type of rice which was available during the month of shravan. This variety of rice was allowed to eat during the fasts. They also consumed fruits like apples, bananas etc, that time they were fresh and without the effect of pesticides. I used to eat them without washing also sometimes. My grand mother was fond of playing cards.
. There were few cinema theatres, the cinema had just became 'talky' .Earlier , it was a period of silent movies.During the shoots , a small passsage was created where the artists who played instruments like tabla, dholki etc could sit, so that it becomes easy to record while the shooting was on.
My father 'appa'was fond of movies.He had seen both silent movies and now talky movies as well. The actors had now started speaking, they sang songs, said huge dialogues , danced , fought wars, rescued the heroines from the clutches of the villians and in the end both the hero and the heroine lived happily ever after.
The audience clapped and whistled on the heroes victory and came out of the theatre
happy, singing song of the movie, they watched Whenever, aapa saw such movie which he
enjoyed, he immediately saw the next show of the same movie.
Appa's other interest was learning 'English'language. H e wanted to lear to convere, write and speak in fluent Englsh. But his shy nature prevented hi from attaending any classes at that time.So he bought a book by the name " My English Teacher " which taught English using the Marathi language. It was a self study book. Since , he was sincere by nature and he wholeheartedly read and learnt the techniques of English speaking taught in that book.He learned ALPHABETS Ato Z and also numbers. Whenever my mother used to watch him with fond eyes , he being shy used to close the book and go out of the house for walk.
His children also liked him learning,but never appreciated openly, thinking that he may not like it. because in those the relation between father and children were not free, but was a strict .
Appa decided to shift our residence from Mahim's Bageshwar bhuvan as my mother and grandmother were irritated due to shortage of water , as our family was staying on forth floor of the building wher e water reached late and less my mother ,grand mother ,my elder sister had to come down to fill water in to utensils, and carry them forth floor.So aapa decided to shift to the nearby building . where a rooms on the ground floor were available. So, he selected one such room on ground floor in one such buiding.
It had 'chouks ' where taps for municipal water, ample of place for washing clothes, cleaning utensils ,which were used for cooking food,plates used lunch and dinner etc was available.
Tenants took water from taps and filled water in to pots and utensils of copper, brass.
Appa immediately gave rupees five to the 'bhayya' who was looking after building and booked the room.
He handed key to aapa. Soon appa shifted his family to ameen manzil room no 15 ground floor, lady jamshedji road,there was a common bathroom.It was exact opposite to our Room with water tap since now they were on ground floor, they could go out.,for marketing etc.APPA was a loving father to all his children.
Those were the days of British rule,from 1 st January 1818 the British started ruling India and the Maratha empire came to an end.
The last peshwa shrimant bajirao the 2nd had to vacate shaniwar wada, for bithoor, where he was to rule as per orders of british east india company.,till 31st December 1817,the east india tried hard to over throw 'maratha rule many war happened but british could not succeed. On 31st December 1817 they had declared war shrimant bajirao the second accepted the challenge,the british were always defeated , the Marathas came out to fight, but Britishers did not turn up this surprising which was never expected, otherwise british, run away before Marathas ,but bajiraos'forces searched them ,but. they found no sign of their precence on 'war field's therefore they decided to return to shaniwar wada,they turned canons and horses back.
The enemy,had run away,they don't dare to face strong army of Marathas.The army was therefore very joyfull , they shouted slogans of victory," chatrapati shivaji maharaj ki jai!,har har mahadev. Chatrapati shahu maharajancha, vijay aso, shrimant bajirao peshvyancha vijay aso !"they all now returning happily
Without any tension, and all of
sudden, unexpectedly,when they were un caution they were attacked cowardly from back side, the maratha soldiers were otherwise smart enough to face such attacks,but they were shocked, and confused, when they realised. That the attackers were not british but british,sponsored, regiment of Indian origin ,the attackers ,attacked maratha soldiers as revenge , but maratha army was not mentally prepared for this, attack from their own people,and therefore could not, raised the arms against them they were rather convincing mood, wanted to console them, but attackers were in their avenge full mood and attacked Marathas fiercefully ,jealously, hatred, but, some maratha
soldiers realised the british sponsoring,and reversed attack, and killed many attackers however, the British succeeded in there actual game of divide and rule here , first time,and second successive day ie 1st January 1818.and chatrapati shivaji maharaj ,own hindavi swarajya came to an
The jari pata ka flag came down from Shaniwar wada and British Union jack was hoisted in its place. The whole india, come under British rule making Indian .an people slaves of British
Since then India came closed with western world,it s culture , progress, standard of living, their dress,industrial revolution had happened, machine were invented therefore manual work ,production was replaced, by machines the production was increased,doubled tripled in less time ,therefore human power needed less and less.
British government stopped village artisans , so the artisans became jobless, but drastic changes happened all over India, the country was connected with railways, the port's were built so that international and internal business through big ships steamers carrying tones of goods, food grains , machines can be carried.
Big cities , came in existence with big roads, connecting all parts of the cities , the bombay city came in existence after connecting 7 islands.
The Bombay city ie Mumbai had big roads, buses ,trams both double decker ,single, taxies started carrying public from one plase to another place, where they desired.Other Local trains were also running.
Public buildings were built,since all ports were in South mumbai, all offices government as well as private offices were located over there. All industries , companies , factories, in mumbai ,or it s suburban area.
All youngsters ,other needy people from all part of nation rushed to cities like Calcutta, then Bombay. But much people came to Mumbai in search of jobs or small business.those have some skill ,they got jobs soon , my father, aapa like other people came to Mumbai for job ,he was skilled carpenter he joined other carpenters from
Our native place, who stayed together in a room in a chawl. Also worked together, gradually every one got self job. And settled, under him 4,5 people worked happily ,all worked sincerely, they got their salaries regularly they respected my father he never fired the worker,in presence of others but taking him aside bright his mistake to his notice ,and warn him but never did his any loss. Aapla was expert in moulding work therefore building contracted gave him the job stair cases windows, doors,he did railing work of stairs very artistically. But he got job in royal navel dockyard.
He did his new job, sincerely but he also continued his private work since his colleagues were depended on that, they were yet not capable to work independently.
Appa used to fast,few days in week . My family had non veg , on somedays in a week. In those days ,the entire family followed the rituals even children followed all rituals , rites from generation to generation , whatever the caste they belonged to .
Religious atmosphere was every where every field , picture,plays , songs all devoted to god, goddess. The temples were full with devotees.The Cows were first fed lunch which was also offered to god, then people had their lunch . Though it is followed ,today but compulsion is not there.
Appa wad very popular among his colleagues and his cousins,whether they paternal or maternal,because of his social behaviour a, though he has no real brother sister,he was only son of grand mother,but he has distance relatives paternal brothers who loved him and not only that he was respected for devotion ,sincerity to work because of that he could settled in his life he himself gave jobs, trained needy men who came in his contact. He settled in Mumbai and also purchased land in village in Alibag. So he can stay peacefully, after retirement,but his all good behaviour, devotion worship social behaviour did not help to protect him but all his good done helped his children, his grand children.
When I was child my elder sister, tai used to tell stories, she also gave information about our family's past, background. Because of her information , today I could write on this blog. One thing is very important and emotional , that she told me that was that when I was 8 months old, I started speaking. .
Tai started to introducing me to my mother. , Grand mother, and asked me to call them as aai , mothi aai, and I accordingly used to say aai as "aa," "m mla "when she carried me to my father and call him aapa, i could say with much effort , ppa!, And this i still feel very important, because,my family members my siblings could.
Enjoy him live,talked , laughed , traveled had breakfast lunch,dinner ,during that child hood he would have fed them!, But I could not, not even little bit so atleast I called my father with much efforts "ppa" !.
