Page 47 - Swatantrata to Atmanirbharta : Lokmanya Tilak’s legacy

moderate nationalist views and his special efforts to awaken
Indians and get rid of the irrational customs and traditions.
But my father, who was a leading lawyer had special respect
for Lokmanya’s outstanding sacrifice and radical patriotism.
My mother was a fan of Lokmanya, and she had adopted the
principle of Swadeshi in managing all purchase transactions
and finances of our household.
I had a strong determination to study in Fergusson College
(which was founded by Lokmanya) and had an ambition to
join Fergusson, as a professor, without having temptation of
job- prospects in distinguished posts of an officer in government
establishments, or high salaried jobs in industrial and business
houses. According to my goal, I had the fortune of joining
Fergusson College and serve for the cause of academic
excellence with a spirit of missionary sacrifice and adherence
to idealistic ethical values.
In 1970s, when I joined Fergusson College, I had the
opportunity to edit, ‘Artha’ magazine, which was founded by
the great economist and adviser to the Gwalior State Prof.
V. G. Kale and who also happened to be the first professor
of economics in Fergusson College. Prof. Kale’s goodwill in
Maharashtra had a great influence because he had founded the
‘Mahratta Chamber of Commerce and Industries’ organised by
Tilak’s followers like A. R. Bhat, V. M. Deval, S.L. Kirloskar
and more. No wonder, at the initial starting year itself, ‘Artha’
of which I had become the editor and sponsored by my friend
Subhash Barve reached a subscription of over 400 members! It
was circulated in the nooks and corners of Maharashtra’s cities,
towns, villages and in remote and backward regions of Konkan,
Marathwada, Vidarbha and North Maharashtra.
Before editing Artha, I had carefully studied Lokmanya’s
editorials and special articles and had made efforts to acquire
the skill of writing lucid, easy, and precise Marathi, which
had the ability of communicating to the common man and
elitist/ enlightened gentry, both, the diagnosis of contemporary
economic problems and happenings and spread general
economic awareness among the Marathi readers of ‘Artha’.

45 Swatantrata to Atmanirbharata