It is always hard to remember much of ones infancy but whatever one hears from his elders and parents helps one to learn about his entry in to this world.
15th September 1964 had passed, that was the due date given to Nisha and Dattatreya Dhanagare for the birth of their first child. It was two weeks after the due date that the Doctors at Duffrin Hospital informed that the delivery now overdue would be an c.operation.The Dr had already told my father that he should be ready incase he could nsave just one of us.
It was on 1st Oct after a long grueling operation that I was born at 11.42 am, inspite of the delay both mother and child were safe. I was named after my great great grandfather "Shridhar". The irony was that my birth certificate still had the original due date of my birth 15th Sept as my date of birth !
Being born in almost 38 weeks I was chubby and bonny.. I was the first Boy in the third Generation of our side of the Dhanagare's.
Mummy was from Amravati and I was there for some 3 months, at my grandfather W.N.Patrikars place.
Mummy was his second daughter , a graduate in Sociology.
Daddy ( Dattatreya N Dhanagare) was also the second son ( third child) of Advocate N.R.Dhanagare based in Washim (then in Dist Akola). Daddy was a lecturer in Sociology at Shri Shivaji College. Mummy was his BA student and subsequently they got married on 5th July 1962.
Daddy had till then joined as a PG lecturer in Agra. However from Amravati we had gone to Washim to be with my grandfather and grandmother ( dads parents). We shifted to Agra with Daddy soon after.
My memories of Agra are dim, my Atyas ( Dads Sisters) had come over .
I was 10 months old when Daddy got an offer to pursue a course in USA.
He took up the challenge but not before giving a word to Baba Ajoba ( his father) that we would come back.
We were then again back at Washim, Daddy had wanted that Mummy and i should accompany him but that was not possible as once he reached there the professor guide who was to guide him was not there, He finally returned to India in September 1966 a month before my second birthday.
In 1968 Daddy got an offer at IIT Kanpur in the Department of Sociology, it was in September that I joined KG at Campus School IIT Kanpur.
I was in Campus school till 2nd standard when in 1970 my father got an offer for Fellowship and D Phil at University of Sussex. After a debate on if he should go alone or take the family itbwas decided that the family will go and Dad gave a word to my grand father that come what may he would come back to India.
March 1970 we landed at Heathrow Airport
and our life began for the next 3 and half years in Brighton.
I was just 6 so it's difficult to remember much but I do remember changing school twice because of Racial discrimination.
Dad was doing his PhD and Mom used to work to help out as the fellowship Dad got was not enough. So I had to take a public bus to school alone and come back similarly. I still remember once I Missed my stop and the conductor realised this.
On the next stop he got down with me, stopped a passing car and asked him to drop me to school.
He took Dad's Department number and called him up and told him what happened.
But as things would be I reached school and subsequently home safely.
There are many memories off and on of Brighton. The most important that my brother was born there in July 1971.
I wasn't a very loving brother..
Having a feeling of jealousy that my attention was being shared.
Anyways in the Coldeans school where I had the better part of my schooling there I was very popular with the girls..a reputation I lived up to through out.
In 1973 we had a Europe trip and also traveled to Scotland as Dad had finished his thesis and the final formalities were left.
We came back to India in November 1973.
We landed in Mumbai and my mischievous streak continued. One day I went for a walk all alone and lost my way on the streets of Dadar.. I didn't know Hindi or Marathi neither the proper address where we were at my aunt's place. I was lost and a feeling of helplessness engulfed me.
It was a miracle that looking for me finally my Uncle and Dad found me and beleive me this ordeal lasted almost an hour.
In December 1973 we reached IIT Kanpur again. I was to be in 5th class but with 4 months for the exam there was no way I could learn Hindi. So in May 1976 I joined Campus school in 5th A.
Can't remember much but our class teacher was Mrs Chauhan ( I have the report card hence recollect .
From Campus School to KV in 6th D where the class teacher was D.K.Gupta.( Neeraj was with me )
Later for 7th and 8th I was in section B.( Sunita, MiniBokil, Gautam Parasnis , Mandira) were few in my class.
We stayed in the Campus 312 old type 3.
Sunita was a neighbour in 310.
As I have already been labeled yes I was notorious and mischievous both.
Never much interested in studies used to get into trouble a lot.
On arriving in 1973 we were at the guest house for almost 3 months and it is there that I learnt cycling.
I got my first cycle in 1975.
Kanpur also introduced me to the world not films. My parents were also liking movies so we used to see at least one every month apart from those which came to L7.
In 6th there was some singing talent competition and I remember sung an English Pop Number.
In 1975 also brings memories of Emergency. My Grandfather and Uncle were arrested in MISA and Dad was under House Arrest and his Passport confestigated.
That was a tough time for us and also indicated signals from the family (Dad's) to come back to Maharashtra.
Otherwise we used to travel once a year to Nagpur by train enjoying the Orai Gulab ( kala )Jamuns and other delicacies on the route.
Finally in December 1977 dad got an offer from Pune University which he decided to take. In January 1978 we also shifted to Pune.
Pune I continued in KV ( Ganesh Khind )
Where I completed 10th with a first class ( Surprised all ).
For 11th I took Science stream in Modern College.
Once in Pune I was a free bird I used to roam all over on my cycle and bunked school for movies ( this started with Des Pardes in 1979)
College was no different.
11th standard I was hardly ever in college..
Mostly at the theatre.
I used to see minimum of 15 movies in a month and in 3 consecutive months has a record of 33 movies in 31 days , 32 movies in 31 days and 30 movies in 28 days ( Dec 1980, Jan 1981, Feb 1981).
Then came 12th standard and I used to wonder what to do. The movie sprees reduced but marginally. Biology was my favourite one of the reasons being the teacher Mrs Satbhai was one of the most beautiful ladies. Physics and Chemistry was not far behind. Anyways
The acid test was HSC and I flunked ..
I scored over 85% in PCB but flunked Maths.
I was at crossroads my father was livid and didn't talk to me for almost a week.
Finally I decided to repeat 12th leaving Maths and taking Geography.
In the meanwhile during our study tour of Anand , Dairy science became a factor nfor selecting Agriculture.
I got good marks in the entrance exam but not good enough to get Pune.
I had to go to my birth town Amravati.
So I was back to where it all began 19 years later.1983
Bsc Agriculture was different than what I had anticipated. There were very few from an urban background and I found the going very difficult. Esp at the hostel.
I won't go into those details but soon I left hostel and stayed with my Nana and Naani.
My uncle ( Dad's Elder brother ) was also there.
It was there when cupid struck and on 26th April 1984 I met Mona who was my Uncle's friends daughter and also a family friend.
For me it was love at first sight and I confessed my love the second time we met in November.
She was from am orthodox family and although our family was known to them
there was no way to propose as she was of marriable age and I was 2 years from Graduation. So the answer was no.
First time I genuinely fell in love and 💔
Anyways I did not give up and on the pretext of being just good friends was in touch with her traveling to Nagpur for that.
And letters..
In 1986 two years later..
I proposed again..
The answer now was let me think.
Finally in December 1986 she said yes.
Now I had to break the news and told my Mother about it.
She told my Dad and surprise.. Dad took it very cooly and said that you graduate and I will talk to her father.
1987 I met with 2 accidents..
In Feb I fell out of a running train
In June I fractured my leg.
However I graduated same year but the parent talks were delayed.
As I passed with Distinction and also cleared my TOFEL and GRE Dad was planning for my PG in USA.( Virginia )
But my father in law was adamant that if he is going abroad Mona will go or it's all over.
I told Dad taking her along is not possible so I decided not to go and took MSc Admission in Rahuri in Food Technology.
Dad never forgave me for this decision.
Doing MSc I tried finding a job and I'm 3rd semester I got a job in Godrej 12.April.88
Left MSc..took the job and the marriage was announced for 4th Dec.
As I was a fresher had no leaves so for the wedding had to take loss of Pay.
And I had just ₹5000 in savings.
Anyways the plunge was taken..
1991 my daughter was born and same year I was transferred to Ahmed Nagar.
Dad too had left Pune for Delhi as member secretary ICSSR.
How we mangaged the sudden change and our 6 years in Ahmednagar is a different story.
I won the National Award and was Promoted in Godrej in 1997 and shifted to Nashik.
Meanwhile Dad in 1995 took over as Vice Chancellor of Shivaji University Kolhapur.
He had a very volatile tenure there because not his disciplined and to the rule management which was not liked by the local politically backed lobbies in the University.
His tenure ended in 2000 and he came back to Pune.
We came back to Pune in 2001. Finally I got the transfer.
However my final Years with Godrej were very turbulent and I knew I had to get out of this rut.
In 2004 I changed the only job and joined Mahyco. I had given 16 years to Godrej.
Ever since my parents returned from Kolhapur, Mom developed nsome stange symptoms..She first lost her rational thought followed by speech and finally she was diagnosed with irreversible Dementia in 2005.
Her condition deteriorated to the level that in her final year she was just bedridden fed by a tube with no inkling to what's happening.She recognised no one.
In this condition I saw and understood what true dedication was as I watched my father be by her side and care for her even when it was known there was no hope.
She finally succumbed on 29th Aug 2008.
It was during this period I rejected better offers as I would bhave to leave Pune and in the condition things were I could not do that. My brother nwas settled in Australia and could come hardly once a year and I understood my responsibility.
I was growing in Mahyco and was a consistent performer but my inability to manipulate things and not be a bosses pet brought my rise ro an abrupt end.
I was last promoted in 2009 and since then just carrying on.
In 2013 I moved from Sales and Marketing to Business Development. Again inspite of performances appricaition eluded me.
Finally a situation has come where I have now resigned to fate and wish to complete the 3 odd years I have before retirement at 58.
My daughter Sneha got married on 27th April 2016 and following year my father who I adored passed away in front of My eyes on 7th March 2017.
The memories of that day still haunt me.
On the way in 2008 I joined the social media world of Facebook and LinkedIn and was connected to many of you.
Before I met Sunita in Lucknow in 2014 and joined the group bin 2015.(Thanks Sunita and Sangeeta Bisht ).
It's been a great time on this group.. catching up with friends who knew me , many who didn't but I was fun to be on the group.
I remember meeting Poonam , Sarah, Manju, Harvinder in Pune and Alka, Sunita Alok M and Vishwaroop Ananth came home. It's irony that Alok M met my father 2 days before he passed.
I enjoy being with all of you
Make it a point to try and attend all gatherings and Reunions .
Also if I visit any city make it a point to catch up with those there. My only failure being Hyderabad.
I thank all for giving me patient hearing and Iam ready for your comments and questions if any.
