The Colossus That Was Bapurao Naik

(Arun Naik, Bapurao Naik's elder son speaks at the Mumbai Marathi Sahitya Sangh kickstarting Bapurao Naik's centenary year celebrations).

In 1942, when he was only 22 years of age, he wrote a Marathi book about paper manufacture and use titled Kagad. This book was published by a major publisher. It was comprehensive. It dealt with the raw material, processes, chemistry, use, sizes, varieties, physical properties. This remains the only book of its kind in Marathi. The book was revised and reprinted in 1982 with the same title. I too wrote a similar book in Marathi, but for high school students.

1939 to 1945 were the war years. There was a constant threat of an aerial attack and bombing. They used to have air raid wardens in those days. My father was one. And he wrote a booklet for citizens. This booklet analysed the various kinds of bombs, its effect and injuries, what one should do in such an emergency, about bomb shelters, first aid, post raid activity, fires, how to treat them, rescue etc. I came across this booklet some years ago and I was surprized to note how much he knew even then. I cannot find the booklet now.

Even as my father was working in Pune, he would make frequent trips to Mumbai, and also travel with the Mumbai gang to annual literary and theatre conferences all over Maharashtra. Yerawada is a suburb of Pune and it is far away, on Nagar Road and near Viman Nagar. It has the famous Yerawada Prison, the Mental Hospital, and a famous confectionary factory. But it is remote and sparsely populated. My father would cycle down to Pune whenever he got the chance and even spend weekends with Potdar. This kept him amongst literary and theatre people. In Yerawada itself he spent time in the akhada and in learning and reading Sanskrit literature as well as English literature.

There is some vague information regarding Mama Warerkar, the famous Marathi theatre playwright from that time. Mama was a postmaster at Sawantwadi when my father was in Vengurla. Then both shifted to Mumbai. Mama lived in Haji Kasam Wadi beyond French Bridge. It seems that my father worked as a scribe for him in those early years.

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The Colossus That Was Bapurao Naik(Arun Naik, Bapurao Naik's elder son speaks at the Mumbai Marathi Sahitya Sangh kickstarting Bapurao Naik's centenary year celebrations).

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The Colossus That Was Bapurao Naik

(Arun Naik, Bapurao Naik's elder son speaks at the Mumbai Marathi Sahitya Sangh kickstarting Bapurao Naik's centenary year celebrations).