The Shriram Wada

The Shriram Wada, a sprawling structure in the heart of Pune city, was bought by Shriram Bhikaji Jatar (SBJ) around 1890 on his retirement. It was bought from his own earnings. He did not receive any property from his father (Bhikaji). Shriram Jatar left this property to his sons and in the year 1927 approximately, Bapurao bought it from his brothers (a value of ₹20,000/- was placed on the Wada) after selling a property in Nagpur (documentation available with me.) After Bapurao’s death (1951), the Shriram Wada was sold.

It is a huge Wada with 3 floors and numerous rooms. It has entrances on two sides, as it straddles two lanes in Narayan Peth. There is a water well at the back. There used to be a cowshed with 3 or 4 buffaloes. The main entrance used to be from the north, but now it has been changed to the south. It used to be number 340, Narayan Peth, but now the number has changed to 387/388.

Lokmanya Tilak was a tenant here and the Wada has become known for this now.

Here are the photographs of the Wada. The front entrance has a board of the “Maharashtra Rashtrabhasha Sabha” which operates from this building. Unfortunately, this board hides the marble name-plate of our ancestor, Shriram.

Exterior of the wada

The photo below shows the marble engraving of Shriram’s name. We asked the authorities to remove the board so we could take the photo.

A board directing you to the room where Lokmanya Tilak stayed

Information and photographs provided by Sudhir Jatar.

On the greatness of Bapurao

Yashwant Bhagwat has sent in an article, which he wrote on Bapurao (Kashinath Shriram Jatar), and it was published in Maharashtra Times Pune on 10/10/17. Before I paste the article here, this is what he wrote to me (Nita) on email (by KS he means Bapurao and NS he means Bhausaheb).

My father always used to tell me about K.S. and N.S. Jatar. I unfortunately could not see K.S.Jatar in person but I have talked to N.S. Jatar when I visited Neelsadan. We feel that these people and their families acted like messengers of God. The very fact that I at 83 still remember the good deeds of Jatars shows that they were worthy of worship. Good people come into life do something good and fade away without ever advertising about their deeds and expecting anything in return.
Regards
Yashwant Bhagwat M.E ( Civil )

In a comment here at this link, he has also said:

Udaiyan Jatar

Udaiyan Jatar is the great-grandson son of Kashinath Shriram Jatar (Bapurao), who was the eldest son of Shriram Jatar,  and this is the family tree of Shriram. One of Bapurao’s sons was Shantaram Jatar (known as Babukaka) who married Malti Phadnis. Udaiyan is Babukaka’s grand-son, and the son of Dinkar (Kumar) Jatar and Shaila Raje Pant.

Udiayan founded Blue Earth Network (here is a link to his website) after a successful career creating and launching new brands for Grey, P&G and Coca-Cola across the world. He developed the launch strategies for Kinley and Sprite in India, which became the #1 and #2 brands for Coke in that strategic market.

This led to a transfer to Coke’s global headquarters in Atlanta, where he eventually became the youngest leader of the Coca-Cola Nestle Refreshments Company, a joint venture between the world’s biggest beverage and food companies, respectively. His success at revamping that business led to Coca-Cola and Nestle deciding to elevate the JV to a strategic priority and naming it “Beverage Partners Worldwide”.

Udaiyan went on to become the youngest Global Vice-President

Kamalatai Jatar Thakur and Krishnarao

This is a photograph of Kamalatai Thakur nee Jatar. She was the daughter of Bapurao, the eldest son of Shriram Bhikaji Jatar. She was the elder sister of Banutai and Sushilatai. She was Appasaheb‘s sister.

 

Sonavi Kher Desai (daughter of Malti Kher (nee Thakur), Kamalatai’s grand daughter  says:

She was also very gentle and warm. She passed away when I was quite young so I don’t have too many memories of her. But I remember the big dabbas of ladoos she always had in the Nagpur kitchen

This is what Anjani Mangalmurti, Kamalatai’s first cousin’s daughter has to say about her:

Long ago, around 1953,we stayed with them in Nagpur, for a short time before my father was allotted a bungalow. They were kind and affectionate hosts. Papa as he was called by all, every evening gave us a tour of his beautiful rose garden, rose cultivation was his hobby. He had a collection of exotic roses! Tai Thakur and my mom were first cousins. Anjani

 

A link to a write-up by Sonavi on her grandmother: Memories of my grandmother.

Rajiv Inamdar and family

I (Rajiv Inamdar) am the grandson of Sarojini (Banutai), the daughter of Kashinath Jatar (Bapurao), who was the eldest son of Shriram Jatar. Banutai married NL Inamdar (Annasaheb). I am the son of Rear Adm. Yashwant Inamdar and Leela Raman.

I have just turned 60. I am with Heidrick & Struggles a global executive search and leadership consulting firm and head one of their subsidiary companies – a Knowledge Management organization. My family is pretty diverse. My mother (passed away in 2004) was Tamilian. My wife (Karti – my batch mate from IIM Ahmedabad) is from Kerala. My elder son ( Arjun – a banker with Credit Suisse in Zurich) is married to an Assamese Muslim girl – Zubina. My younger son (Siddharth- an engineer with Agilent Technologies in Rochester NY) is married to a Lebanese Catholic girl – Carole. They have a lovely 2-year-old daughter – Yara who is our pride & joy!

(Contributed by Rajiv Inamdar)

Update: There is a new addition to Siddharth’s family: Mazin Rumi, born on 4th December 2018.

You can check out a photo of Rajiv’s family here, and also these posts on the Inamdar Family Tree and a photograph of the Inamdar siblings. And a post on Rajiv’s father, Rear Admiral Yashwant Inamdar.

Poem written on the demise of Aaisaheb by Bapurao

A poignant poem by the eldest son of Shriram and Janaki, KS Jatar, otherwise known as Bapurao to his mother Janaki (also known as Aaisaheb) after she passed away in 1912, when she must have been nearing the age of 70. Janakibai or Aaisaheb survived for almost 20 years after her husband (Shriram) died at the age of 61, and looked after her large family of four sons and three daughters with a lot of love and care. Her loss was keenly felt by the whole family.

Her eldest son was 41 when he wrote this poem but even as a man nearing middle age, he was broken after his mother’s death as can be seen from this poem. He writes of the tragedy of her loss, remembers the variety of food she used to cook, and the love and support she provided to various members of the whole family.

A particularly poignant moment in the poem is when Bapurao writes that “you” (meaning his mother Janaki) promised to look after your daughter-in-law after “Bhau” went abroad, but your untimely death dashed all hopes. Here he is referring to Bhausaheb’s first wife Bhagirathi alias Durga, who unfortunately died prematurely in her early twenties.

This poem is on two sheets of paper written in Marathi and posted in two separate images. People from the Jatar family are all named here. It is sure to bring a tear to your eye.

Anecdote from the life of Bapurao (Kashinath Jatar)

Kashinath Shriram Jatar, the eldest son of Shriram Bhikaji Jatar was a great family man and great achiever as well. By nature he was kind and helpful, as this post illustrates.

In a book  called “The Course of My Life ” by CD Deshmukh, he mentions Bapurao and reveals his helpfulness. CD Deshmukh (Sir Chintaman Dwarakanath Deshmukh, CIE, ICS)  was an Indian civil servant, and the first Indian to be appointed as the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India in 1943 by the British authorities. Deshmukh was Union Finance Minister from 1950 until 1956

Here is excerpt from the book in image form:

Excerpt from The Course of My Life by CD Deshmukh

(Compiled by Nita Jatar Kulkarni)