It's about a Legend!!
It's been a month since he passed away. Every time my father calls someone in the early morning or late night, I think he has dialled his phone. Every time my father brings a magazine to home, I think he has asked him to bring one. It feels like this birthday too, he will ask me to bring a book and will ask me which book I am reading or was reading lately. But I know nothing is gonna be the same.
I am talking about my late Grandfather ( Dadu as we called) Sri Shiv Ratan Thanvi. He left for his heavenly abode last month on this date but his memories lay fresh in our minds. Dadu was 88 years old. Dadu was an educationist, a reader, a writer, an enthusiast and had a never-ending love for books. Dadu believed in diary writing and was himself writing a diary for more than 40 years which is now a book, "Jag Darshan Ka Mela". Dadu always told his grandchildren to write a diary. He was proficient in Hindi, Rajasthani, English, Bangla and Gujarati. Though first two languages are our mother-tongue but he learned other languages on his own.
He was an educationist because all his life was devoted to education. He was a teacher by profession. He used to write about education and against government irrespective of the fact that he was a government employee. And this impressed the late IAS Anil Bordia ji, Padma Bhushan awardee. Mr Bordia called him to Bikaner. Anilji was on a mission to spread education through literature and every other means. And he was looking for people like Dadu. So, Dadu founded 'Shivira' magazine of Education Department, Rajasthan.
He was a reader because he started reading Hindi and English books from the fifth class. And that urge and willingness to read was pretty much alive even before a month he died. He had a massive collection of books from Bhagwad Gita to Shakespeare to Morarji Desai to Rabindranath Tagore.
He was a writer but he never admitted it. He used to say that I am still learning to write. I don't know how to write. And the only way to learn to write is to read a lot. That's why he was a reader first. Once I enquired him how to write a story, actually I was writing a story at that time. So he replied that you have to read a lot, reading different writers will tell you about different styles and these styles will help you make a unique style of your own.
He was an enthusiast because of the quest for learning and knowing about new things never ended. He always encouraged us to learn the things and ask questions. He himself even in his 70s and 80s learned how to use gadgets and smartphones. He always had a large appetite for questions and urge to learn new things. It was his enthusiasm that helped him to learn so many other languages.
Also, he had very strong willpower, unmatchable. Last year in April, his health deteriorated too much. He even wished death. But a little motivation from my father and uncles built his willpower again. He was on the bed from that month and wasn't able to move much. But over the course of the year, he was able to not only move his legs but also go to the toilet on his own. He used to tell that I will come to Bikaner now and will also go to Delhi.
All his passions and desires of reading, writing and letter conversation, all lasted until his last months of life.
He lived his life to make himself better and encouraged us to be better, learn new things and strive for good and worked to redefine the education and its relation to literature. Even he made his death an opportunity to serve education purpose and betterment of society. He donated his body to Dr. S.N. Government medical college, Jodhpur and wrote an obituary of his own death two years back and wrote that no religious rituals should be done.
Dadu and his memories will stay forever in our minds and hearts.
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| Me with Dadu |
I am talking about my late Grandfather ( Dadu as we called) Sri Shiv Ratan Thanvi. He left for his heavenly abode last month on this date but his memories lay fresh in our minds. Dadu was 88 years old. Dadu was an educationist, a reader, a writer, an enthusiast and had a never-ending love for books. Dadu believed in diary writing and was himself writing a diary for more than 40 years which is now a book, "Jag Darshan Ka Mela". Dadu always told his grandchildren to write a diary. He was proficient in Hindi, Rajasthani, English, Bangla and Gujarati. Though first two languages are our mother-tongue but he learned other languages on his own.
He was an educationist because all his life was devoted to education. He was a teacher by profession. He used to write about education and against government irrespective of the fact that he was a government employee. And this impressed the late IAS Anil Bordia ji, Padma Bhushan awardee. Mr Bordia called him to Bikaner. Anilji was on a mission to spread education through literature and every other means. And he was looking for people like Dadu. So, Dadu founded 'Shivira' magazine of Education Department, Rajasthan.
He was a reader because he started reading Hindi and English books from the fifth class. And that urge and willingness to read was pretty much alive even before a month he died. He had a massive collection of books from Bhagwad Gita to Shakespeare to Morarji Desai to Rabindranath Tagore.
He was a writer but he never admitted it. He used to say that I am still learning to write. I don't know how to write. And the only way to learn to write is to read a lot. That's why he was a reader first. Once I enquired him how to write a story, actually I was writing a story at that time. So he replied that you have to read a lot, reading different writers will tell you about different styles and these styles will help you make a unique style of your own.
He was an enthusiast because of the quest for learning and knowing about new things never ended. He always encouraged us to learn the things and ask questions. He himself even in his 70s and 80s learned how to use gadgets and smartphones. He always had a large appetite for questions and urge to learn new things. It was his enthusiasm that helped him to learn so many other languages.
Also, he had very strong willpower, unmatchable. Last year in April, his health deteriorated too much. He even wished death. But a little motivation from my father and uncles built his willpower again. He was on the bed from that month and wasn't able to move much. But over the course of the year, he was able to not only move his legs but also go to the toilet on his own. He used to tell that I will come to Bikaner now and will also go to Delhi.
All his passions and desires of reading, writing and letter conversation, all lasted until his last months of life.
He lived his life to make himself better and encouraged us to be better, learn new things and strive for good and worked to redefine the education and its relation to literature. Even he made his death an opportunity to serve education purpose and betterment of society. He donated his body to Dr. S.N. Government medical college, Jodhpur and wrote an obituary of his own death two years back and wrote that no religious rituals should be done.
Dadu and his memories will stay forever in our minds and hearts.
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