Thursday, September 30, 2010

LION ASHOK KUMBHAR.

LION ASHOK KUMBHAR.

Lion Ashok Kumbhar passes away in Egypt on 26th September 2010. Any death is sad. A ruling Governor dying while in office is more sad and shocking for all Lions of District 323-A-2 of lions clubs International. A trip that will not be forgot for long time. True International character of the movement was underlined by the fact that A Governor died in foreign country. Not so foreign for Lions because it is a country on the map of Lions. Lion fraternity rose to the occasion to make arrangements for transferring the body to India in quickest possible ways.

A ruling Governor has died first time in our District. Many constitutional provisions which were of only academical nature to study are going to become operative. Even in death Lion Ashok is giving lessons

The crowd gathered to pay homage and the procession for Lions Ashok has very large which included Minister, Mayer and many others. It speaks a lot about his popularity. It was not only the Lions but people from many walks of life came together. Apart from politicians his colleagues form navy, Literature and art lovers from Martahi Sahitya Mandal of Nvai Mumbai, Kumbhar Samaj not to mention family members and many many Lions as extended family.

I did not support him in his election campaign to become Governor. This never came in way of our friendship. He was truly great to understand my compulsions. Very few persons can be so magnanimous. I was equally moved by the shock of his death like others who supported him in campaign. I never believe in any camp. I believe that elections in service voluntary organizations are between friends and should be fought as such. To be forgot as soon as results are out. Lion Ashok born out this belief by his personality.

Lion Ashok has came quite a long way in his life. They say “what you are” is God’s gift to you and “what you become” is your gift to God. A very big gift is given to the God by Lion Ashok.

May his soul rest in peace. May god give courage to Lion lady Ashwini and children to bear the loss.

Arvind Khare
Khare_am@yahoo.com

Monday, September 27, 2010

DAUGHTER'S DAY

Yesterday was the daughter’s day. Singular for me plural for some. I have only one daughter SURUCHI. Single but worthy of dozen. She is younger of my two kids. Like almost all younger kid, she was more dear. My both kids were so pretty as small children that they would draw attention where ever they went. Suruchi received more as girl. Ours is almost a joint family. My elder brother has only son “Jagdish” elder to her. Coming after two boys she was bound to be more favored in the house. At least till Reema & Mana arrived.

Salil was good six years old than her. We always thought of her as small kid till he was alive. She grew by several years on the night of his death. We were in USA at the time. My friend and then MP Prakash Paranjpe was trying to talk us out of waiting for our arrived for funeral. He thought we will have tough time to gather enough people for his funeral. It was our Lions friend and Suruchi who proved him wrong. When we boarded off the plain and got into waiting car, she hold our hands as nobody else could have. She was no more a small kid.

Being charismatic herself, she brought us out of gloom. She was involved in romantic way to Amit by now. She confided into me and soon a love marriage was converted into arranged marriage. No regrets for that I think. She had best of the both. Only thing I asked Amit when he came to ask her hand was promise to care for four parents instead of two. A promise so well kept by them both. Now she is perfect elder sister to cousins from my side and perfect younger sister to cousins from her mother’s side. In fact now she is indispensable not only to us but to all her cousins either here or in USA.

Very beautiful, fierce fully intelligent, she is our pride. I wont praise her on face being conservative myself. I have hunch that she will not read this blog and therefore I ma taking this liberty to praise her.

We share a rare relationship where she is loved respected and yes also feared by at least me if not by us. After all now she is the only one to carry our legacy to what ever kind of world we will leave behind. I don’t know who will care less, the world, herself or myself.

We wanted to spend evening with Amit, she and Rohan. Could not be materialise. No problem We hope there will be another year granted to us by God for another daughter’s day.

Arvind Khare
Khare_am@yahoo.com

Friday, September 17, 2010

SANDRA SAMUEL, A GLOBAL CITIZEN

Sandra Samuel was born as an Indian and is now conferred with Israel citizenship. It is not ear whether she surrendered Indian Citizenship. If not it is a case of dual citizenship. Many Indian would love to have such dual citizenship. USA would of course top the list of most desirable country for dual citizenship. I Israel would not be far behind. Normally such wish would be impossible to gain and scorned by any patriotic person. Exception is Sandra Samuel.

We all are aware of her courage and presence of mind. We are also aware of the exemplary deed she performed. Perhaps she might have got life full of honoring and felicitations from Lions and Rotaries and their cousin clubs. However the call of the crying child was perhaps greater than national pride.It is not case of only Moshe and Sandra but it is a bond between a child and his Aya or Dai. The concept of Aya is rather difficult to explain. It is a very complex relationship. It is a role of servant, care taker, foster mother all rolled into one. One does not know how little Moshe would have faced her staying back in India. She happened to be only person known to him in whole world. It is a bond going much beyond the boundaries of nations. It is a case of humanity being greater than nationality. Such people deserve to be conferred the world citizenship. No country ought to be foreign to such person because humanity can not be foreign to any nation. It is a notion not align to Indian Philosophy.

We are proud of you Sandra. It is person and deed like her that go to prove the quotes of JnaeshwarViswachi maze Ghar “ or Subhashit like “Vasudhaive Kutumbakam”.

Arvind Khare
Khare_am@yahoo.com