For Prof Ram Shewalkar life is like Paaniyavari Makari

The following interview was appeared in The Hitavada on 5th December 2007. Prof Ram Shewalkar's autobiography Paniyawari Makari will be published on Dec 11 by President of India Pratibha Patil. This exclusive interview was taken by me when Prof Shewalkar was about to fly for Delhi.

“Books are the messengers; we must learn from them and assimilate the message they convey. After all, mere words are there in books, real meaning lies in life,” said Prof Ram Shewalkar while speaking to The Hitavada on his upcoming autobiography ‘Paaniyavari Makari.’ The autobiography is scheduled to be released at the hands of President of India Pratibha Patil at Rashtrapati Bhawan on December 11.

“Gone by years and accumulation of experience are like birthmarks, we hardly feel their presence, but they remain with us forever. After seven and a half decades of experience in life, it is now time to share these with my readers,” Shewalkar explained his motivation behind writing the autobiography. The literary maestro has authored hundreds of books and edited several of them, and gave expression to his views through a series of lectures. Then what makes him write a special autobiography? “What we write in books is indirect. It is not vivid. It may be phony sometimes. It may be divorced from reality to bring out the beauty in literature. However, autobiography is direct. It is an anthology of the events that made me think in a different way,” said Shewalkar, adding that his autobiography is about the uncommon things done by the common person. “There was no necessity for me to write the autobiography because I do not consider myself such an authority. People write autobiographies to confess their deeds, some for explaining their stand but I do not have anything to confess, neither have any controversy to explain. However, what I did, apart from a routine life as a teacher, as a professor and as a Principal is quoted there in my book. It is a story of a life lived strictly following the great principles,” said Shewalkar who is one of the important members of Acharya Kul; an organization that brought revolution in the educational field. “Joining Acharya Kul, in 1959, was a turning point in my life. It gave me a new perspective to look at life. It made me believe that completing a syllabus and giving good result is not the real and only duty of a teacher. Teacher is an artisan, who shapes the future of the nation. Today, these values and principles are hard to notice. Through the book, they will reappear in thinking process which may bring some good to education field,” he said while explaining the thought process behind his upcoming book. Today, neither teachers nor students are loyal to their profession which resulted in to the degradation in the standard of education. When one sees that even a highly literate person is not averse to indulging in anti-social activities, it poorly reflects on the quality of formal education. It is an indicator of the failure of formal education to mould responsible human beings. When his attention was drawn to Langston Huge’s quote, “To write about yourself, you should first be outside of yourself,” Shewalkar said, “I am impartial while writing, but not impassive. I do not write diary. So, the incidents in my autobiography are simply my remembrances. The incidents that gave me different way of thinking may be the inspiration for all. The literature will not only please but also teach.” The former President of Vidarbha Sahitya Sangh handled many aspects of literature including prose, poetry, criticism, narrative, and editorial writing. While spearheading Vidarbha Sahitya Sangh, Shewalkar started 85 new branches of the literary organisation. During his tenure, literary meets were organised in tribal areas like Aheri, Gadchiroli and Mehkar. He thinks that literature must reach up to the last man on the social ladder, which will enrich the society. When his attention was drawn to critics’ viewpoint that his literature was limited to criticism and study which is not creative writing, he humbly accepted the critics’ views. “I accept that there are very few novels, stories, poetry collections to my credit. But that alone is not the creative writing. Criticism, analytical study on some epic lets you re-live the original work. That brings real delight and new perspective to reading books. This is very much a creative writing which helps you understand the epic.” Shewalkar’s study on Sant Gyaneshwar received high acclaim from all over the literary field. “Instead of being involved in self-made literature, it gives me more pleasure to convey other great litterateurs’ works to the readers, he said, adding that the books edited by him have been acclaimed more than his own creations. During his 75 years long journey of life, Shewalkar successfully played many roles, including a teacher, a Principal, a leader, and a social worker. During this long and cherished journey, many disappointing moments also came as obstacles, but his positive vision and strong faith in God always gave him spiritual strength. “I am satisfied. I never ask for anything from the Almighty. He gave me a lot. Lot more than I deserve” says the man with smile. When asked about the name ‘Paaniyavari Makari’ of his autobiography, he said “It is an expression from Dnyaneshwari. It says that when a makari (crocodile) swims on water, the lines drawn by it disappear within moments. Human life is like that.”