My earliest memories of Dr Gowardhan go back to the late 1960s, when he and his Mrs Sylvia after returning from the UK would regularly visit our family friend, N M Pangarkar, who was related to him and we stayed in the same locality. His 1966, shiny, Oxford Blue, Morris Oxford Series VI, MHX 5822, that he had imported from the UK, would be parked outside the Pangarkar residence during his visits. This car would be a common sight on the Orange City streets during its prime years. In mid-1989, an office colleague Dr Rabindranath Pal, was suffering from intestinal cancer. Dr Pal ran from pillar to post, consulting the then top doctors of the city. None could diagnose his illness properly.

 

Ultimately, he was admitted to Dr Gowardhan’s hospital, then in the Bobde compound, Civil Lines. Dr Gowardhan performed a surgery saying he wants to check the intestines, as he suspected the worst. He gave Dr Pal another 3 to 4 months to live, saying that the intestinal cancer was in an advanced stage. During the weeks, Dr Pal was admitted to his hospital, our office colleagues made it a ritual to visit the patient every day. As our office was then in the New Secretariat Building, opp the old VCA ground, the hospital fell enroute. I could connect with Dr Gowardhan at his hospital in 1989, and spoke about his car and his visits to our locality.

 

He gave a subtle smile and recollected those moments. One fine day, he suddenly joked “Dr Pal has more visitors than any politician.” We all had a hearty laugh. Dr Pal lived for six months, post his surgery, and passed away in February 1990. The last time I met Dr Gowardhan was at the CP Club premises, where the Cent Ind Vintage Automotive Association (CIVAA) had organised a display of vintage cars and bikes on December 5, 2021. Dr Gowardhan with family members had come to view his car that was on display. The car is now with another owner, who has also kept it in mint condition. Dr Gowardhan smiled when I re-introduced myself after so many decades and enquired about my well-being. He posed with family members for quite a few snaps. We have sadly lost the best surgeon of his times who was humble and a very good human being.