LIFE SKETCH OF DR. SHANKAR DHONDO KARVE
Dr. SD Karve – My Paternal Grandfather
A Life Sketch by Vikram Karve
___________
In the early
1970’s – my paternal grandfather (Shankar Dhondo Karve) and grandmother (Revati
Shankar Karve) – permanently relocated from Mombasa, Kenya – and – came to live
with us in Pune.
I clearly
remember one incident.
I was
studying for my B.Tech. (Engineering) and had come home for my holidays.
One evening
my grandfather called me.
He said that
some his friends were visiting – he gave me some money and asked me to get a
bottle of whisky.
“Do you
drink...?” he asked me.
“No…” I said
– truthfully.
“That’s
good…” he said, “You should indulge in “vices” only after you start earning
your own money – as a student you must live a life of “thrift and frugality”…”
(He was right
– you understand the value of money only when you have to earn it)
As a
successful doctor – Dr. SD Karve enjoyed a high standard of living in Mombasa,
Kenya.
Once – he
visited a friend in Deccan Gymkhana (around 5 kms away from our house) – and –
his friend was aghast to learn that Dr. SD Karve had travelled by the humble
PMT bus (instead of a Taxi or an Auto-Rickshaw - which he could easily afford).
(Dr. SD Karve
was born in 1894 and must have been in his 80’s when this incident took place)
He told his
friend that he felt quite fit enough to travel by bus – and – in fact – he
could have walked down too.
His friend ensured
that he was dropped home by in his car.
A few years
later my grandfather and grandmother shifted to the bungalow of his youngest
brother BD Karve – where he had built a room (outhouse) adjoining the bungalow.
They lived
there till both of them passed away to their heavenly abode in 1983 – they
passed away a few months apart.
Actually – I
was much closer to our maternal grandparents who lived in Pune – rather than
our paternal grandparents who lived across the seas in Mombasa (Kenya) – and
visited us once in 2/3 years when they came to India by passenger ship (later
by aircraft) on vacations.
Believe it or
not – but we never visited our grandparents in Mombasa.
My parents
had planned a family visit to Mombasa in November 1962 – passports were ready –
tickets for the sea voyage were booked – but in October 1962 – war broke out
with China – leave of all Defence Personnel was cancelled – and my father (an
Air Force Officer) was sent on duty to the North East.
So – the
visit to Mombasa was cancelled – and somehow – the family visit to Kenya never
materialised again.
Thus – sadly
– we were never able to see my grandfather’s house in Kenya – though he did
visit us in India a few times – before permanently relocating to Pune.
______
Dr. SD Karve
– son of Maharshi Dhondo Keshav Karve – was born in 1894.
He completed
his MBBS from Grant Medical College, Mumbai and joined the Indian Medical
Service (IMS) was a military medical service in British India…
__________
To Be Continued…
__________
VIKRAM KARVE
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