There is an old English saying “Just as behind every successful man there is a woman”. This saying is proved true in the case of my grandparents , Dr Gopinath and Vataslabai Pradhan . Gopinath Pradhan , my grandfather was an eminent personality in society and commanded respect from his contemporaries and seniors. He had a wide friends circle and his home was a favorite meeting place for all his friends. Very often Gopinath Pradhan’s residence in the evenings would be characterized by gathering of his friends who would deliberate on a wide variety of topics social and personal in nature . His network of people comprised of people who came from various professional backgrounds, doctors , lawyers , social workers etc . Gopinath Pradhan popularly known to his friends and family as Gora Pradhan holds the distinction of being the first Phd of Mumbai University. The topic of his research was Untouchables and Prostitutes of India, a topic which was considered quite controversial in the society of his times and in India on the whole. Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar , the father of the Indian Constitution was a close ally of Dr Gopinath Pradhan and often shared ideas and had discussions with him on social issues.
Vatsalabai Pradhan and Gopinath Pradhan were blessed with 3 sons, Ram , Sudhir and Arun Pradhan. Ram Pradhan being the eldest whereas Arun was the youngest of the three brothers. Vatsalabai Pradhan excelled in the role of an able housewife bringing up her three sons with love and care. She proved to be a perfect complement and solid support to her illustrious husband. Unfortunately their journey together was short lived as she lost her husband at the age of 54 when her eldest son Ram Pradhan was only about 18 years old . She displayed great character and poise in overcoming this sudden shock and brought up her three sons with courage and determination. Her three sons were her greatest strength. The values and principles set by her husband always guided her in these troublesome times, the family had to wrestle against obvious financial obligations. This was the time when all her sons worked together to repay their father’s financial loans to uphold the family’s respect in the society.
Vatsalabais three sons responded to the occasion with great fortitude repaid their fathers financial commitments by sheer dint of their labour. They did not hesitate doing odd jobs since upholding the values and the commitments of their late father . Soon the family recouped from the shock of their father’s death and set on the path of progress.
The credit of the success of Ram , Sudhir and Arun Pradhan who not only successfully completed their education but also settleled themselves well later in their life to a very large extent goes to the efforts of their mother Vatsalabai Pradhan.
All the three sons settled in their own lives comfortably and looks after their mother with utmost care and commitment making sure that she got all the comforts that she so fittingly deserved.
-Later In the later part of her life Vatsalabai Pradhan who was always spiritually inclined took up the the teachings and followed RamaBai as her Guru. She took keen interest in the activities of Ram Shakti Mission,a Mangalore based spiritual organization in Southern India. I remember as a kid I often used to accompany her to the Ram Shakti Mission gatherings on Dnyan Mandir Road in Dadar where we used to stay and took part in the daily aartis and prayers that were held in the prayer hall of the mission. I clearly remember the divine hymn that I used to chat with Aaji :
Charanam Sharanam Rama Ambike
Charanam Sharanam Trayam Bike
If you would like to know more about this faith and about RamaBai I recommend you visit http://www.ramasaktimission.org/Introduction.asp
In the later part of her life Aaji suffered from heavy diabetes . After a prolonged illness Vatsalabai Pradhan left this mortal world on 15th august 1986