Baba’s better half, my mother; Mangala Pradhan was born in the Nagle family in Mumbai. She has two sisters and three brothers. Her father worked as a weaving and spinning supervisor in cloth mills. Because of the nature of my grandfather’s work, the family was constantly traveling from one state to another. Mother completed her schooling in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, after which the family migrated to the Vile Parle area of Mumbai. She received her Master of Arts degree from Baroda, Gujarat.
Mother married Baba on 13th June, 1954, right after completing her MA. She wanted to study further, a decision that was well received by Baba, who came from a family of intellectually inclined people. For most part of her early marital life, she held teaching positions in some of the most renowned schools in Mumbai, such as the IES Education Society and the Raja Shivaji Vidyalaya.
She complemented Baba in more ways than one. Her serenity and calm were like water to Baba’s fiery, ambitious personality. Her presence always brought a sense of relaxation to any place, be it our home or Baba’s office. She was a woman unlike any other. Proud of her husband’s accomplishments, she found solace in his success and felt blessed to receive immense knowledge from her husband. I remember the time of the annual aarti at the shipping dock when the pride and joy used to reflect from her face through her charm, glow, and smile.
Baba was happy to support her ambition. She served as a director of Mangala and took an avid interest in the daily working of the dock, until she decided to hand over this responsibility to Baba and take care of her children as a full time mother.
She complemented Baba beautifully, in more ways than one. She had no inhibitions in mortgaging her gold ornaments towards a loan for the company, which displayed her forthcoming and supportive nature. She was equally at ease working tirelessly to manage home and family and yet, at ease giving instructions to our four servants.
The way she managed everything has been nothing short of extraordinary. In my eyes, she is the epitome of a perfect woman and a perfect mother.