A ‘Place’ known as Dahanukar College

It was first week of June 1963. Someone told me that there is a college in Vile Parle, where you can join even as an employed student. I was new to Bombay, straight from a taluka place in Raigad district and only SSC passed with an extremely poor financial background and family support. For me it was a journey from a bullock cart place to a place of speeding trains and taxis and buses with a feeling of being lost. I was employed as a temporary typist in State Government Fisheries department. In my two months stay in Mumbai I had known only Churni Road station where I went for my work and Borivali station from where I could find out the place where I stayed as a paying guest and no relatives or any financial help or any friend circle.

I could somehow search the college and then straightway went to Principal’s cabin. I was allowed to get in immediately and started speaking fast, loudly and in broken English to the Principal. I do not know how much was understood by him, but he was a keen observer and a kind person. He understood that I was at pains speaking in English, that I was employed, that I was new to Bombay and most important, my pockets were empty. He asked me to sit down, offered a glass of water, spoke kindly in Marathi and literally made me relaxed. After listening once again in Marathi, he asked me to pay just Rs.30/= ( As against Rs.150/= which would have been normal term fee) and take admission. This was my first encounter with a ‘PLACE’ known as Dahanukar college and Principal at that time was late Shri M. D. Limaye.

This first encounter some 48 years back created y close ties with M.L.Dahanukar College of Commerce and Economics. I have developed a special liking for a ‘Place’ known as Dahanukar College. This is the place (or Vaastu) that gave proper direction to my future career.

In those days, i.e. from June 1963 to March 1967, the college used to conduct special batches for employed students. First 2 periods in the morning from 07:30 am to 09:00 am and 3 more periods in the evening from 06:15 pm to 08:30 pm. Every day we were required to come twice to the college. Our class consisted of 150 students (sometimes ever more) and even without compulsive stick of attendance, it used to be almost full and absentees from employed students were mainly on account of pressures of office work where we were employed.

My English, learnt from Tarkhadkar grammer and translation books, in school was very elementary. In fact, our batch belonged to students who started learning A..B..C..D.. from 8th standard. I therefore did not understand for the first few months what the lecturers were talking; but I picked up soon.

In those days, there was no canteen. A person with couple of dabbas used to come from nearby Parle College canteen (now known as Sathaye College) and we used to buy at times famous Batata Wada or Idli. In those days it was not a craze for ‘Vada Pav’, but only Batata Vada. College used to conduct terminal and prelim examinations quite seriously. In order to prepar for final examination, college corridors used to be quite helpful and served as reading room-cum-library after 08:30 pm and we had many times before exams stayed in such corridors till midnight. I remember having slept in the corridors on newspapers spread twice because I missed the last train. I still remember my senior friends in those days Mr. Prakash Pethe, Nandu Desai and others who would be in college corridors for study and also for chit chat. I met Prakash once or twice, but Nandu from Bank of Baroda still missing. To refresh ourselves during those night study hours, Bharat Tapari ( now it is an AC hotel) at the end of Dixit Road corner on Nehru road was quite famous where we could get boiling hot cup of cutting tea.

It was relatively new college then, admission was open but not much of an enjoyment for teenage innocent flirting. There were hardly any girl students, at least in employed batches.

Prof. Sathe (as he the was) used to teach us Economics. Even in those days he had a style of teaching like a ‘Kirtankar’, prose and poetic language mixed together. There was one, calm and quiet and always with a jacket on, Prof. Ved , teaching us basics of Book-keeping, rhythmic lyrical style of Prof. Bhangle whose big moustaches were a matter of envy for some of us, fast track train of Prof. K. R. Shah, pleasing personality and valuable substance in talk displayed by Prof. P. H. Vaidya (later on Dr. P. H. Vaidya), a professor with beautiful handwriting Dr. L. M. Dani, always calm but firm and convincing Miss Prabhu (later on Mrs. Acharya), Professor Bhandare with an enchantment for taking extra lecturer many more. We did enjoy those college lectures and also occasionally bunked them in order to go for movies.

We, the employed students in the college hardly got any time for study, except when we used to take exam leave towards the end. There used to be sick leave applications in offices and I was also not an exception. The regular attendance in college and office needed to consume almost 16 hours a day and hardly enough time for commuting and sleeping. Just before my final B.Com examination I remember a bombshell I got from my office (Bank of India) to report to the bank’s doctor to verify my so-called sickness. When I got the news through my office colleague who specially came hunting for me in college library, I was literally shivering. Job was very important for survival and I was supposed to resume duties immediately. I then decided to join office, dump the books, take a drop in exam and go for a movie to overcome frustration, very much against my wishes. I was trudging along the corridor near library to collect my books. I accidently met Prof. Sathe who enquired about my studies. When I told him the situation and a decision to take a drop, he gave me a piece of mind, ’Give up job, exams first, you will not starve in this Bombay. Anyway you already have starving experiences in the first year of your college. So there should be no problem’. He spoke for five minutes giving his own experiences. I listened to him. I changed my mind, did not go to office and passed B.Com with very good marks. Luckily, I did not lose my bank job also, thanks to some good work done by my well wishers.

I cannot forget Prof. K. R. Shah who gave me practical training, helping hand in finance and guided me like a father to become a Chartered Accountant.

I still remember his words in the college corridor. I was reluctant to do CA because that would have meant giving up a secured job with a salary of Rs.750/= per month in those days. I told him that I cannot survive in Bombay on a stipend of Rs.50/= per month given in those days to article students for a full day working. He had told me then, ’if you want to swim, you have to jump into water, you will have to move your body to remain above water; I shall see to it that you are not drowned’. It was this advice given to me in room no. 4, entrance of Dahanukar that gave a direction to my life. I became a Chartered Accountant.

These are the persons from Dahanukar, whether it is Principal Limaye or Prof. K. R. Shah or Prof. Y. M. Sathe – whom I met in college premises and the ‘PLACE’ gave a direction to my destiny. Yes, I can never forget the college, the lectures, our professors or innumerable friend circle, our studies and our tensions, our joys and frustrations, our cries and our laughter. A ‘PLACE’ called Dahanukar College silently observed all these emotions. One can write on and on…..but there has to be a limit to the expressions. College is now completing 50 years of its useful existence. There are people who go to various temples and churches and mosques and what not. I am not against those who worship but I am not very much fond of it also. For me a place like Dahanukar College is like a temple. We, all the student who were blessed by this temple ‘PLACE’ do pay our sincere respect on its completion of 50 years. I am sure the ‘PLACE’ will kindle the lights and create a destiny for thousands of future students in years to come.

- Ashok Dhere

Ex-Professor