30/04/2024
💐🙏🏼Remembering Prof. P. H. Kulkarni by reposting this article written for a book on his life, compiled by Dr. Pradnya Bannerjee 💐🙏🏻
Ti. Nana...You had always been an enlightened soul who lived his life to the fullest and in fulfilment as you had been in connection with The Divine Energy 💐🙏🏻
Your memories will be forever cherished with great love and respect by us💐🙏🏼....I am sure that wherever you will be, you will keep showering us with your love and blessings 💐🙏🏻
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My Guru - Prof. P. H. aka Nana
I remember my grandmother used to call him as "Shyam" and younger members in family as "Nana" while everyone outside the family as "P.H". Whatever they used to call him, it was always with a great love, gratitude and pride. I was amazed in that young age that someone can be so great scholar, physician, researcher, leader, author, poet, publisher and even a music lover at the same time. His magnanimous work in promotion and propagation of Ayurveda and most specifically, evidence based Ayurveda, was quite astonishing.
At the same, his humble, respectful, loving, caring personality exuding the wonderful aura of the great legacy of charity and spirituality was unmatchable.
My mother says that he is a true follower of "Bhagwat Sampradaya" and carries the great ancient legacy of "Vitthal Krupa" belonging to his roots in sacred land of Manerajuri, where ancestors of Kulkarni Family built a beautiful and unique temple of Shri Vitthal.
I also have faint memories about references my maternal great grandmother and maternal grandmother, Nana's Cousin, used to tell about his parents, Late HaribhauDada and Late PadmaVahini, who were praised and adored by their whole family. My little heart then used to be very happy to see this great family bonding and realise it now as grown up that it's such a great task to keep everyone bonded lovingly and respectfully in a large family like that.
I also remember a little visiting his home in Pune and gathering a lots of affection from his beautiful and loving wife, our beloved NaluMami. She was an evergreen beauty with long beautiful hair and a warm smile reflecting her loving soul. She has been always prompt and happy to welcome and host everyone stepping inside her warm and cosy nest, that beautiful home Nana and NaluMami made out of hardwork, dedication and love.
Also his wonderful sons, beautiful and loving daughter and even amazing daughters-in-law, are carrying that wonderful baton of a brilliant and proud legacy.
After these golden memories of childhood, a phase of life connected me much more to these amazing people. I missed my admission to MBBS course by just a few marks and was hugely disappointed and felt actually hopeless. But my parents reminded me of Hon' P. H. AKA Nana. Though I couldn't meet him then, i always had this inspiration in mind.
Later I got married and shifted to Pune with my husband, Rajiv. That was the time, I was confused about the career options once again as we were not sure if we were deciding to settle in Pune. I met Nana and he guided me to work at Nanal Hospital. For a short time I worked there. We shifted to Bangalore for Rajiv's IT job and later to Singapore.
A turning point came in my life when we shifted to South Africa and I was again in confusion as my degree of Ayurveda wasn't recognised there. I was suggested to go for post-graduation and I called Nana for my interest in post-graduation at European Ayurveda Academy. That was a really blessed moment in my life indeed. He not only instantly provided assurance but also sent me his books.
Most precious moment in life was that when he gave me a unique subject to study, my research topic and my identity in my fraternity, Ayurvedic Student who did a pioneer project of collaboration of Ayurveda and African Traditional Medicine. It was a study in three phases, Comparative study of Ayurveda and African Traditional Medicine, Critical study of African Traditional Medicine in view of Ayurveda and critical study of 33 indigenous medicinal plants of Southern Africa in Ayurvedic perspective.
He not only suggested this topic but inspired me by quoting that this is a pioneer project in Ayurveda.
That was the day that changed my life due to golden touch by my Guru, Prof. P. H. Kulkarni, my guide for this unique international project.
I kept following him just like a child following her mother blindly with great faith, love and anticipation in her eyes.
He kept holding my hands, assuring me, supporting and guiding me at every step in my life since then.
I truly believe in Karma and feel so grateful for this precious gift I received in this life in form of my Guru.
It submitted my thesis in 2005 and he was the happiest person to see his dream come true. With his blessings came many felicitations and awards, those I know in my heart that I received as just a medium who was destined to carry this divine work seeded by our ancestors and executed by my Guru.
That collaboration study was honoured by Traditional Healers'Organization in South Africa that proudly hosts almost 80,000 African Healers as members. Leaders of THO incorporated this work in their curriculum of Advanced Training Program for African Healers and appointed me as Ayurveda Facilitator. This honour was the greatest for me and I could be that first Indian woman and Ayurveda representative to get this honour, only because of the great vision by my Guru.
Later when I was doing ground work to form an Ayurveda Foundation, his guidance and support was instrumental. Also he accepted to be Chief Guest for our First National Conference of Ayurveda held by The Ayurveda Foundation of South Africa (TAFSA). Those were precious moments we cherish lifelong when Nana and NaluMami stayed with us at our place and we were blessed with his divine presence. His wisdom, simplicity, love, dedication and powerful leadership created a huge fan following there. I was lucky to witness his charisma and was grateful to God for those divine moments.
Even after I shifted back to India, that sacred project of "Bridging Study", became my identity and my blessing that kept me bonded with South Africa since 19 yrs now.
He inspired me to write and I became a regular writer in Deerghayu and Deerghayu International. Due to his encouragement, I wrote 5 books and was blessed by title of "Sharduli Nighantu" by him to my book of pharmacopeia of South African Indigenous Plants. Every gesture by him is out of love and care for his students and he takes every opportunity to encourage and guide them until they attain their destined paths, in personal life, Career and Spirituality.
I am blessed to have him as my senior family member and the most important one for me is that sacred bond called Guru-Shishya.
May Lord Vitthal and Guru of Gurus, Shri Dattatray, bless all of us with a great health and happiness to our beloved Guru, Prof. P. H. Kulkarni and with the undiminishing shower of his love, wisdom and leadership throughout our lives !!!
Dr. Shaarduli Terwaadkar
Sangli
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