After 40 years in city, Chitampalli to be back ‘home’ to Solapur
| Date :11-Oct-2020 |
Noted litterateur Asha Bage felicitating ‘Aranya Rishi’ Maruti Chitampalli at the residence of late Principal Ram Shewalkar,on Saturday. Ashutosh Shewalkar, Vijaya Shewalkar, Manisha Shewalkar also are seen. (Pic by Satish Raut)
By Kartik Lokhande :
Sometimes, man gets lost while wandering in forest. But, there are occasions, albeit rare, when a man cultivates forest within. Such a man gets transformed into what Maruti Chitampalli represents — a sage! During the course of his life, including more than four decades in Vidarbha, this man has planted a forest of ideas in public mind, seed by seed. On Saturday, the ‘Aranya Rishi’ started his journey back to his native place Solapur, where he has decided to spend the rest of his fruitful life. The former Forest Officer, whose love for flora and fauna grew deeper over the years of his more than 40 years of stay in Vidarbha region, has earned the unshakable position in the heart of wildlife lovers. He walked around 3 lakh kms in search of new experiences. His seminal works ‘Pakshikosh’ and ‘Pranikosh’ took 12 years and 6 years respectively to see light of the day.
The draft of ‘Matsyakosh’ is ready. Besides earning the sobriquet of ‘Aranya Rishi’ (Sage of Forests) for his unparalleled dedication towards the cause of unravelling the forests, he has created a niche for himself as a litterateur who has gifted 1,00,000 new words to Marathi, many of which he collected from tribals. After investing years in forests of Vidarbha, Chitampalli is leaving the region to go back to his native place Solapur and settle there. He will live with his nephew there. The 88-year-old person with sagely attributes was staying at Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindi Vishwavidyalaya, Wardha, for quite some time. Last year, his health deteriorated. He took treatment at Dinanath Mangeshkar Hospital, Pune. Since then, he was thinking of moving back to Solapur.
Late Principal Ram Shewalkar, who was a wordsmith and a litterateur par excellence, shared a deep bond of friendship and respect with Chitampalli. On Saturday, Shewalkar family including Ashutosh, Vijayatai, Manisha decided to give an emotional farewell from Nagpur to Chitampalli. In a small gathering, acclaimed litterateur Asha Bage felicitated Chitampalli on behalf of Nagpurians. Hemraj Bagul, Director, Information and Public Relations, Nagpur; Anil Gadekar, District Information Officer (Special Duty), also were present on the occasion.
During the course of familial conversation on the occasion, laughter erupted only to silently melt away into smiles with passage of moments. Chitampalli, too, became emotional. He shared some experiences. He mentioned that his foray into the world of literature started with the spell cast by the riches of Nagzira forest. He shared how while exploring the forests he got acquainted with animals, birds, trees, and ‘life’. With each visit, his curiosity grew. He took notes in his diary. Gradually, these notes became the foundation of his literary works. The question about his successor in the field was first replied to by movement of wrinkles on Chitampalli’s face.
Then came the words, “The younger generation does not want to invest years of dedication. They want everything fast. Hence, I did not exert myself on finding a successor. My readers and organistions like Maharashtra Pakshimitra are my successors,” he added. On November 12, Chitampalli will turn a new leaf of his age, and journey.
Though he is leaving Nagpur and ‘karmabhoomi’ of Vidarbha, the footprints he has left on the sands of time with his work will never fade. But, he is also leaving behind a legacy. In his own words from the introduction of his book ‘Jangalacha Dena’, “Stay in forest deepens one’s thinking. Feelings become purer... Jungle is a sacred centre of Indian philosophy of life. In that context, it has been our residence for ages. In the recent past we have not been able to preserve the precious gift of Nature. The feeling of thanklessness towards jungle is increasing in us, like an insolvent...” Will his observation serve as a message, for people in his ‘karmabhoomi’?