Arun Bongirwar Sir and Public Service Excellence Award.....

Arun Bongirwar Sir and Public Service Excellence Award, ABPSEA......

It was saturday and I was relaxing at home without the rush of leaving for office. It was also the first day of Navratri. We had done the ghatastapana and kept Navratri Golu at our home. Golu is the festive display of idols of God and Godesses, dolls and artifacts in Tamilian homes during Navaratri. This festival is special to me for more reasons than one because it gives us an opportunity to invite friends and family to our homes and celebrate together. Of course things would be low key this year due to Covid 19. Though invitations for virtual Darshan and celebrations had started coming my heart did feel a tug. I was brooding over how due to corona things are beyond are control when I received a call from my friend congratulating me for being selected for the prestigious Arun Bongirwar Public Service Excellence Awards. Soon thereafter I started receiving cuttings of news in the newspaper and congratulatory messages on my Whatsapp.
Even as I started poring over the mesaage I saw Bongirwar Sir's sprightly face in it. My thoughts went back to 1996 when I was posted as Tahsildar Karjat as a part of my probationary training as Deputy Collector. That was the first time I met him. Mr. Rameshchandra Kanade was our Divisional Cimmissioner then and we had a meeting on eco-tourism in Matheran. Kanade Sir was an extremely studious and softspoken person who minded his 'p's and 'q's. He was extremely meticulous with calligraphic handwriting. A stickler for perfection we used be a bit wary of him.
Bongirwar Sir was ,'boss ka boss ' so I was double wary and on tenterhooks to ensure everything was perfect at the meeting and thereafter. But to my utter suprise both of them to took upon themselves to make me feel comfortable. The kind of lessons I learnt from their experience is unforgettable. Later, I came to know that his sister, Mamata, was married to Kanade Sir, our Divisional Commissioner.
I had heard tales of Bongirwar Sir's multi-tasking skills. I was fortunate to witness them and was truly fascinated. He could talk on the phone, take notes, sign files and do many other things at the same time. Having thorough knowledge of the subject and deep knowledge of administration enabled him to take quick decisions. No wonder he held many important positions and even worked as the Secretary to two Chief Ministers. He was a visionary and therefore contributed to many reforms in revenue administration and other departments. He was friendly and easy to talk to and therefore approachable. However what has remained in my mind as his most endearing quality is his bonding with the family. His respect and love for his mother and his affection for his children, nephews and neices showed how warm-hearted he was. The Ganapati celebrations at his home are legendary and I had the opportunity to visit his home on a couple of occasions.
To me Bongirwar Sir was an epitome of a human being. I am going to get an award associated with his name. Awards validate our work or acknowledge our efforts. Also the award is for bringing about a change in the livelihoods and nutrition of rural women, a cause which was extremely close to Bongirwar Sir's heart. In fact the last time I was lucky to have got an opportunity to meet him at Mantralay was after I was posted as Chief Executive Officer of Maharashtra State Rural Livelihoods Mission and had come for a meeting to Mantralay. He was very happy to hear about my posting and urged me to do my best. Receiving an award associated with Bongirwar Sir's name for that very cause makes it all the more special for me. I looked at his picture, bowed my head in reverance and felt engulfed in his blessings.....