TASK 2 of the 21 day challenge (23/4/21): List of people in my life who I view as successful

 

23rd April 2021 : TASK 2 : List of people in my life who I view as successful

Success should be seen not just in terms of wealth accumulated but also happiness. This is a very important thought to bear in mind. Usually success is seen only in its tangible form. We judge a person by the clothes he wears, the car he drives and by where he resides. Everyone strives to be happy in life. Naval Ravikant says that to be happy one has to stop looking for it.

I will list below a few names who I think are successful not necessarily in monetary terms but have enjoyed peace of mind and happiness. Success is about being unruffled in any situation and not losing your calm. It is about maintaining your equilibrium under all circumstances.

Some names might be repeated from the list prepared yesterday, but that is inevitable. People from the society at large have not been included (e.g. Tendulkar’s, Bachchan’s and Thackeray’s of this world). Also I have tried to be judicious and have not included names which have acquired a lot of wealth (affluence) but are lacking in peace of mind and are generally insecure. One common aspect of all the names included is their imperturbability. Some of these people have passed away.

1. Vithal Oke (my grandfather): Fighting against all odds and a childhood seeped in poverty, my grandfather was able to make a name for himself. He became a prominent criminal lawyer and worked very, very hard to be successful. My grandfather, from accounts narrated by my parents, was not too expressive of his emotions but at heart was a loving and caring person. Later in life he took care and also shared financial burden of our extended family. We grew up listening to tales of hunger and deprivement. I am sure he would have been satisfied with what he achieved through hard work and his natural intelligence. And yes, he never turned away a ‘poor’ client.
2. Anna Godbole (Bhagyashree vahini’s father): Anna was a unique man in all respects. He had complete faith in his guru (I don’t recollect the holy man’s name) and was not bothered by the various trials and tribulations of life. He was always at peace and was sure that his guru will take care of whatever impediments he would face. Anna had a huge repository of aarti’s and mythological tales. Ganpati at Thane was enjoyable when he was present as he would regale us with shlokas and aartis in his calm, serene voice. He never wished ill of anyone and more importantly he had no detractors! Anna lent complete support to his formidable wife who chose the unconventional profession of jewelry making many decades ago. He never displayed even a glimpse of the dreaded male ego. What he achieved in life was truly remarkable and cannot be quantified in monetary terms.
3. Rajendra Phadke: Trekker, Professor, CA, RSS karyakarta. Shri Rajendra Phadke was our first Chartered Accountant. He always has the hint of a smile on his face. It just indicates what a jolly good time he is having! Mr. Phadke never let his professional pursuits come in the way of his trekking and his RSS work. His contribution to the local shakha is immense. Several generations of young men and women from Podar College have very high regards for Prof. Phadke as he shepherded them on various treks all across Maharashtra. I have known him for nearly 30 years but he hardly appears to have aged at all. A man at peace. If this is not success what is?
4. Uday Deshpande: Deshpande sir has been working single handedly at Samartha Vyayam Mandir, Shivaji Park for more than 40 years. I was a member of this vyayamshala when I was very young. Despite facing several problems he continues to doggedly work for this institution. Deshpande sir has given his entire life to this vyayamshala and is now a world renowned Mallakhamb exponent and guru. He has mentored scores of students and has brought happiness and joy to many. His contribution in keeping traditional Indian sports alive is immense. Whatever the adversity, he just smiles and keeps doing his work.
5. Dr. Ravin Thatte: World renowned plastic surgeon. Author of many scientific papers. Author of many philosophical books in Marathi and English. Speaker at various forums across the globe. Writer of a very successful and educative blog on plastic surgery. Newspaper columnist. Teacher. Philosopher. Friend and guide. There aren’t enough adjectives to describe this man. Dr. Thatte has faced tragedy on the personal front but he never backed down. He is the first environmental activist of India and was a RTI activist. Dr. Thatte is a savant. He could have minted millions had he chosen to stay back in the US but his ties with India were just too strong.
6. Dr. Eknath Gole: Dr. Gole had his roots in Dapoli. He became a renowned radiologist but never forgot where he came from. He kept working for his village till his last breath. Dr. Gole was always encouraging of others.
7. Vaman Karve: My father’s best friend. Karvekaka to us. He achieved so much in life and also lost so much! His wife (Ushamaushi) was ailing for a very long time. Many of kaka’s relatives use him as their personal ATM. Kaka continues to help his brethren without any grudges.
8. Vidyadhar Oke: Vidyadhardada is not one person. He is a mixture of at least 5 to 6 different individuals. He is an accomplished doctor (pharmacologist), professor (at Sion hospital), musician (one of the foremost harmonium exponents), music researcher and inventor (22 shruti, shrutiveena, samvadini etc.), author, astrologer, script writer (a couple of plays) etc. He reached the pinnacle of success in the Indian pharma industry and one fine day decided to quit. He had had enough. He now wanted to pursue what he really liked to do. For the past twenty odd years he has devoted his life to music. Success thy name is VGO!
9. Bedekar sir (Damle Yog Kendra): Calm, serene exponent of yog sadhana and the chief of Damle yog Kendra. Any session taken by Bedekar sir is a treat for all of us. He is now nearly 80 but has the enthusiasm of a youngster. Institutions survive and thrive because of the efforts of such selfless people.
10. Naveenchandra Hegde: Guruji to us. Engineer. Entrepreneur. Runner. Yoga guru. Philanthropist. Guruji assumes so many roles in life! Quite an exceptional person and fun to be with. He believes in working tirelessly to the best of our abilities, never ever compromising on ethics. Money would eventually come.
11. Vinayak Bapurao Patwardhan: I was not sure about including this name in the list. But I felt his Machiavellian tendencies in local institutions cannot take away what he had achieved in life. Bapurao came from a small village and was later the owner of one of the biggest printing presses in Mumbai. He amassed a lot of property and wealth in his illustrious career. He had once told me that it is imperative for all of us to be active in all social endeavours we come across. Join associations. Be a part of committees. We owe something to society and this is the way to give it back. He was a bit aggressive but at the end we all knew that his intentions were good.
12. Purushottam (Dada) Namjoshi: Dada came from a village in Konkan and became one of the foremost supreme court lawyers of India. He fought several high profile cases throughout his illustrious career. He passed away last month at the age of 97. What separated Dada from other lawyers of his breed was his compassion. He did a lot of pro bono work and was instrumental in showing our society the right direction in many tricky situations. Dada did exemplary work for his home town and also built a school and college for local children. He achieved name, fame and money.
13. Rashmiben Shah (Jayesh’s mother): Jayesh’s mother was a singular woman. I have never come across a livelier person. She always kept with the times so was not a victim of the ‘generation gap’. Many evenings were spent by Harshad and me enjoying delicious meals at the Mehta household. I distinctly remember the morning when she had visited our office about 30 years ago. Jayesh was also new in his business and was having trouble in navigating a tricky situation. At that time we had one pc and were swamped with work and had refused to help Jayesh (we weren’t friends then). Rashmiben had visited our office and requested us to help her son out. This gave birth to a wonderful friendship which we still cherish.
14. Hrishikesh Parandekar: Hrishi was and continues to be a remarkable person. I have followed his career with awe. He is now an American millionaire yet remains grounded.

I can think of many more 'successful' individuals. But the ones mentioned above are truly path breakers.