Tendulkar (Baba) and Me

My association with baba (Vijay Tendulkar), dates back to the 90's when i moved from one place to another with nothing but a haversack on my back.

Then I was involved with Oxfam and was in midst of completing my fellow-ship on Sugarcane-cutters of Maharashtra.

I remember my first meeting with Baba happened when we were introduced by a common friend Shri. Gangal at Baba's friend's house in Girgaum. He had come across my article in a magazine and wanted to meet me. I went over and then it turned out to be a long association full of warmth and love.

He was a family to me.

A mentor who stood by me, guided me, at times disagreed with my views, adamant and strong on the stand he took, vulnerable but firm when he lost his only son Raju, later lost his doting daughter Priya who incidentally was my close friend, then the loss of his wife.

All these tragedies in a row would have broken any other person but baba accepted them as a part of the life cycle.

In spite of all this he never stopped writing.

Pain was his strength and in pain lay his thoughts.

His death is a big loss to the literary world but also a great personal loss to me.

' तें ' नंतर ............

"लोकप्रभा" मधील माझा मृत्युलेख http://www.loksatta.com/lokprabha/diwali2008/diwa05-2008.htm