Day before Yesterday, was 163rd birth anniversary of a great personality who is well known for improving the lives of many women. My life was going to change the same day when I got admitted to the college established by his Organisation. The date was 1st August 2016 when an agnostic girl like me came here and turned into a true believer of Hinduism and its culture.
Throughout my whole life I had lived in a very liberal or modern background. Though being a Maharashtrian , my parents and my other family members were quite religious and culture loving excluding me. I was a kind of Hinduphobic or agnostic. I avoided everything from clothes to the festivals and customs. Added to it I was a student of Kendriya Vidyalaya situated in IIT Mumbai (Bombay). So anyone will assume that the atmosphere will be little liberal (Indian defination), as surrounded by sons/daughters of quite intellectual professors. Plus the curriculum of the NCERT books provided made me loathe my own religion and culture.
Finally an end came to my High School and soon my college life started. I entered in one of the prestigious institutions of Maharashtra. It was Maharshi Karve Stree Shikshan Samstha’s Cummins College of Engineering for Women, Pune. I had got admitted to the branch of Instrumentation Engineering for my under-graduate degree. I was nervous as well as excited for my college life. Everything had changed starting from the fast, busy, modern, filmy atmosphere of Mumbai to a lazy(Punekars call as ‘Nivant’), cultural one in Karvenagar, Pune, mother tongue from Hinglish to Marathi and from co-ed school to an all girls college. My second home was now situated in the Baya Karve .Hostel Complex.
A huge colony with 4 Buildings and approximately 1000 rooms for the girls students studying in the institution. Soon I came to know that the founder of my institution was Maharshi Dhondho Keshav Karve, great social reformer in field of Women welfare, a Bharat Ratna awardee. I had heard this name in my life for first time, as in my curriculum of I had only heard names like Jyotiba Phule, Raja Ram Mohan Roy and Pandita Ramabai. Maybe because my knowledge was limited to only my syllabus and nothing else. Baya Karve, originally known as Anandibai Karve was his second wife whom he married when she was widowed.
Firstly I felt really embarrassed for having no knowledge about such great personality. Soon I started to settle down in my contrast life that I had never experienced before. I was quite shocked to see the environment in the institution and the hostel. Though my institution was not a IIT, NIT or BITS, but it is really good Institution where the Professors are equally motivating and wise. Apart from the Academics, one good thing was that MKSSS despite being an institution of social reformer never disrespected the Hindu customs and culture.
In our Hostel all the Hindu (Maharashtrian) festivals were celebrated very sincerely. For the first time I came to know about the Tulasi Vivah and the Gudi Padwa rally. The atmosphere of MKSSS taught me the richness of my culture. It made me love my religion. Finally I will thank all my warden ma’ams, teachers in MKSSS for opening my eyes. And I hope that the values of Maharshi karve continue to open every girl’s eyes.
