Ganesh Chaturthi at Poona - 1968

Now that Ganesh Chaturthi is being celebrated with all pomp and grandeur all over India, in those days it was celebrated only  inside homes at  Southern parts of  India. It was much a low key celebration confined to the temples and homes. In my childhood the clay Ganesha idols were individually hand crafted by the potter. I too used make my own Ganesha idol with clay for worshiping at home. Later on came the ready made moulds on which clay was applied and the idol was ready in minutes. Then it grew bigger and bigger with plaster of Paris idols, chemical dyes etc..   I had first experienced a big Ganesh Chaturthi procession, with huge crowds dancing with the drum beats and celebration  in 1968 at Poona. It  was also my first time  living in Northern  India. At that time I was a student of First year Diploma  course in Motion Picture Photography at the Film Institute. There were quite a few festivals like Naag Panchami, Holi, Ganesh Chaturthi etc which were widely celebrated.

Along with a few of  my classmates I  went to watch the Ganesh Chaturthi celebration and also to take some photos.R.S.Agarwal and Debu Deodhar were  from Poona and were our local guides and took us around to various places.

One of the Floats

Debu found a float from his area in the procession and took me also for a short ride in the celebrations and also posed with his friends for a photo. It was really a memorable experience, which rush to my mind when seeing vehicles carrying Ganesha idols pass by in front of my house, at Thiruvananthapuram !

With  Debu Deodhar on my Right

Debu, dear friend, Bye......

Yet another personal loss - My dear friend and batch mate from the Institute, Debu Deodhar passed away in to eternity this evening ( 1, September 2010)

Debu Deodhar

A very close friend from the Institute days he was one of the two day scholars in our class, hailing from Poona, the other one was R.S. Agarwal. Now we have lost both of them, Agarwal having taken the lead. As I had written in an earlier post, we used to keep in touch with each other quite often and whenever possible during my short visits to Mumbai myself, Jaiswal and Venugopal Thakker used to have a get together and talk about good old days at the Institute. I found him always with a smile which was spreading cheer all around as a source of positive energy!

One of those Happier days at CC

This time about a month back while I was in Mumbai for the CAS program Jaiswal told me about the critical condition of Debu. Kanal and Kondra who were also attending the CAS , told me about Debu's illness. It seems Cancer had gained an upper hand as it was detected rather at a later stage. Since I had to leave as soon as the CAS was over, I could not pay a visit to him. I was not able to get him on the phone either and left an SMS message.

On my recent visit to Chennai, I happened to meet Kasturi Murthy and passed the information about Debu. I was hoping that Debu will get better and had only today sent a mail to Jaiswal inquiring about Debu's health. But, this evening I received the message from Kanal that Debu is no more!
God calls those dearest to him much too soon! May the Lord give strength to his near and dear to bear this untimely loss. I join in their prayers for the departed Soul to Rest in Peace.

Debu in 1968, at Film Institute

Short Bio and Filmography of Debu:

Debu Deodhar had worked for Directors like Raj Dutt, Amol Palekar, Aziz Mirza, Nana Patekar, Bhimsain and many others. He had also bagged awards like Maharashtra State Award, Zee Gaurav Puraskar, Goa State Award etc.

His work was last seen in a recently released Marathi film ‘Marmabandh’. His forthcoming films are 'Laadi Goadi' and 'Tamashaa'. Some of his other films were - Savalee 2007, Maati Maay 2006, Kshan 2006, Lal Salaam (2002), Pehchaan (2005) , Stumped 2003, Dhyasparva (2001), Kairee (2000) ,Lekroo (2000), Silsila Hai Pyar Ka (1999) ,Daayraa (1996), Bangarwadi (1996), Prahaar: The Final Attack (1991),Thodasa Roomani Ho Jaayen (1990), Lapandav (1993) Shejari Shejari, Gav Tas Changal, Tinhisanja & Akriet (1981).

He is survived by wife Shrabani, daughter Sai and son-in-law Shakti Anand.