GURUDEV !

GURUDEV !*A place, situation or a transaction which you are satisfied with is a GURUDEV !

_Sharad Borkar (WEB: journalistland.in)
GURUDEV is not a person who has got ample knowledge to throw upon you his intelligentsia. It may be a routine conversation with a child who may impress you, guide you and may bring you to an impressive height in the society as well.
In my college time I used to go for studies. A small girl who was able to speak asked me ” WHAT IT IS” …I gave an answer to her and said. “It is TALA”.
The next day that little girl again came and took a lock I kept behind. She came and started to play with that lock, inserting many keys to open & lock it again. But could not and I asked her with little harsh words not to play with a lock … and she replied to me saying it is not lock but IT IS TALA, that she was playing with. I corrected myself because a day before I told her TALA in hindi and now it is LOCK. I was right to say it’s a lock and she was also right to say it is a “TALA”.
You should be twice sure in saying what you want to say … say it with a pause but be perfect in its meaning and with a smile that others should understand it … if you are “Gurudev.”
In our Dhanwate National College we had mostly businessman boys in our class. Jiwaji sir was from the business community and was our accounts professor. We had in our class a group of Bohra community and Gujarathi speaking students. Luckily 16th was a gujarathi speaking student but was from a Patel community. There were also students who had shops named as “Surti Farsan” and a Gujarathi one. Bombaywala was a Sindi boy and had his own branded clothes shops. Both had their shops at Variety Square, Nagpur.
The 16th number in the roll call was Bogidas Patel. Before him all were by name Haq, Vazir, Tayabji, Moosa and so on. Our compulsory English professor was in the habit of calling boys by number. So the 16th number was of Bogidas Patel who had his Saw Mill and was log house in his factory premises like Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the USA.
After graduation my friend Mr. Bogidas Patel was a candidate for Law College Presidentship. He was a proprietor of SAW MILL FACTORY in Ghat Road, Nagpur. After his father’s death he used to enjoy motorcycle “Bullet Enfield” and an Ambassador car which were lined up in college ground and in cycles row on those days. I was working in a daily newspaper and was an embassy to Mr. Patel’s candidature for his Presidentship in Law college.
Reason behind joining the Law College instead of the Main Branch was that Mr. Patel gang resides in Lakadganj, Nagpur and the Law College, city branch, Mahal was a convenient place for all of them. Whereas the main branch had candidates sponsored by RRS & Congress political parties.
I started canvassing for Mr. Bogidas Patel and our need was there to choose a leader within the girls students to make our candidate to win. I approached one girl from my law college since I was bold enough in those Patel gangs, working for a daily English newspaper. On those days I had a second hand SUVEGA. Patel gave me his bullet since my SUVEGA was a second hand and was a Moped vehicle.
The only two bullet motorcycles used to be parked in the ground were one of mine and second one of Late Thakre, our principal of the law college city branch. In girls I was known as Patel because of the Royal Enfield I used to park beside the vehicle of my Law College Principal.
Be gentle in asking me a favour, she said. You are a TATA-BIRLA to spend money for an election to win … but mind well you wrote to her Miss instead of Misses. ___she is married and we had a first ever blow in our canvassing power. I spell my name with “ee” and not “i” at the end. Then Anjlee madam permitted us to make banners if printed by her name. Mr. Bogidas Patel was not able to speak to the audience about his candidature for PRESIDENTSHIP since he used to work in his Saw Mill and was one of the workers working within his saw mill.
Mr. Bogidas Patel lost the seat of President even though we spend money more than ten thousand in those days. But the secretary was our candidate and got ample votes from the girls wing. Anjalee made us proud to celebrate partee in hotel and told me that she was in a impression that “I was a president candidate” where Mr. Bogidas Patel’s face was unknown to the girls since no candidate’s photo was displayed in college. In the three years law degree course we had a strength of around 150 students in all of 1st year, 2nd year and final 3rd year classes.
Mr. Bogidas Patel lost his president seat in the college election but married within a month in his ancestral town girl since his widow mother forced him to marry at an age when he had just passed 18 years … i.e. too early, even too earlier than our other Patel friends were married.
Mr. Bogidas Patel got two daughters from his marriage and both of his daughters are convent students and are on coveted posts abroad. Mrs. Bogies Patel, a wife of Bogidas was two times corporator in Nagpur Municipality, and was well versed in her talk even when I used to face her as a journalist.
GURUDEV may be anybody. Only you should have an aptitude to learn. I am a witness to MURKH (an idiot) men in society. But I remember BOGIDAS PATEL, my friend, when two of his daughters became CEOs. He was for me as good as LINCOLN, the 16th president of the U.S.A. whose life also started in saw mill. When Bogidas came to know that I called him saying … GURUDEV.
Bogidas Patel, who lost his father in early age, married too early when he was just completed his age 18. I saw him many times at 12 to 2 in lunch hours. He was SLEEPING with other workers on the bench or on the floor, in his saw mill … he inherited the principles of common man. He learnt correct words even though he was Gujrathi and were Marathi workers to manage them without their own union in the saw mill. After some time partnership with his uncles came to an end, because of his simple but great attitude.
I asked often at the door …”GURUDEV BOGI CHE … GHAR MA”. Since he was my mentor in his successful life. Hope all my friends who have two daughters will be my GURUDEV in time. Don’t worry about not having a son. Bogidas Patel passed his LLB examination with a distinction but never pleaded in the court.
Log House in his saw mill was his seat to sit as a proprietor. Log cuts in required sizes used in the houses, in bungalows and in multi storied buildings doors … have the signs of prosperity. Maybe Abrahm Lincoln succeeded as the 16th President of the USA. My friend Bogidas Patel with his two daughters made the doors of prosperity in Indian houses and much within the corporation area and abroad. His two daughters got married in the foreign land and are CEOs, proud to me and to all Indians friends of mine since he got daughters only. Bogi is my GURUDEV, my Indian Abraham Lincoln, to whom I always saw in LOG HOUSE.
(Tips: Bogidas Patel & Prateek Patle and Mr. Barmate)