By Savita Bhave Translation Nandu Dange

got into the car and continued on their journey to Pune. Menon was probablyunaware of the time he had spent sleeping on the bench. But he appearedvery relaxed and fresh.Since Sheikh had worked closely on this project with Menon, he could notresist his temptation to ask the question which was gnawing at him: “Sir, howdid you happen to lie down on a bus-stand bench, and how could you sleepso soundly for over half and hour?”Menon smiled. “That is not so easy to answer. We need to go back about 25years in time. I had been in Kolhapur just a couple of years. I did whatever Igot by way of work, and was struggling for survival. Once I needed to go toPune in search of work. I had no money in hand, but a truck driver drove meup to Shirwal as a favour. It was past midnight, and the truck wasn’t going onto Pune. No conveyance was to be got at that time of night. I stretched out onthe bus-stand bench and spent the night there.“In the morning I had a wash, and as I was drinking a glass of water, the wadavendor gave me a wada free - what motivated him to do that, I do not know,but he did give me a wada. I proceeded to Pune under favour from anothertruck driver. Whenever I come to Shirwal, these memories flood me. Thisevening when I was returning from the toilet, I saw that same bench. Lost inthose memories, I sat down, then lay down … and was promptly asleep. Andnow I am feeling nice and refreshed.”Chandran Menon’s rise has been so quick and intense that no one canimagine the trials and tribulations he went through to scale the heights heeventually scaled. At each step in his way he had to face Herculeanobstacles, each one of those obstacles had to be overcome with some of thespecial characteristics of his personality. He had over the years acquired acertain tenacity and purposefulness which held him on course in spite of a lifefilled with trials and tribulations. Success does not come cheap - it demandsvast amounts of courage. Lesser individuals are diminished under itsdemanding onslaught.From his humble origins in Kerala, Providence led him eventually to Kolhapur,where he cast his roots. He would throughout his life look towards Kolhapuras a place that nurtured him, a place that accepted him for what he was and aplace that provided him with the stage to launch his glorious career. In orderto fully understand this exceptional personality, it is necessary to track hisentire life. One thing is evident; this human dynamo had very little time tospare. But whenever he had some, he used it to reach out to the sky, yet hisfeet were rooted firmly in the soil of Kolhapur.•