A very senior member of the Pratishthan, almost from the times the Pratishthan came into being, Shri. Laxman Shankar Marathe alias ‘ल.शं.’ left for heavenly abode in the afternoon on 5th June 2015. He was 80.

 

 

 

Though he was a member from 1982, his active association with the Pratishthan started from 1992 when he had decided, not to take a remunerative assignment, after retirement from Maharashtra State Co-op Bank Ltd. Coincidently, it was in 1992 when the mouthpiece of the Pratishthan ‘Hitguj’, was on the verge of being extinct due to paucity of funds. He took up the challenge and came up with a scheme to generate funds for survival of ‘Hitguj’. With the sole objective of revival of Hitguj by enrolling 500 members for ‘Hitguj’ @ one time membership fee of Rs. 200/-, he travelled to many parts of Maharashtra to have personal interaction with people from ‘Marathe’ clan and urge them to become members. He visited even parts of Goa to meet almost every goan ‘Marathe’. Goa was a near and dear place for him as it was here that he belonged. With his determination, he achieved the target of 500 members for ‘Hitguj’ by 1994 June and naturally was entrusted with the job as Editor of Hitguj’.

 

 

 

Obviously the assignment was an honorary one and which he religiously carried out over next 12 years. He published 50 issues of ‘Hitguj’ from the 17th till the 66th issue between March 1994 and June 2006. He was instrumental in bringing discipline into periodicity and continuity of publication of ‘Hitguj’. Ever since his taking over as Editor in 1994, ‘Hitguj’ is being published regularly in March, June, September and December of each year.  The 25th and the 50th issue of ‘Hitguj’ was published under his editorship. He streamlined the contents of Hitguj and devoted maximum pages to the reportings/ literature of the members of the Pratishthan. He also introduced innovative concepts and ensured diversity in the subjects handled by ‘Hitguj’. His involvement in the publication was so much that his name always was (and will be) identified with ‘Hitguj’.

 

 

 

He was also a Family man. He was the pillar of support for his daughters in their difficult times and was a loving grandfather. Though ‘Marathe Pratishthan’ was his beloved child, after retirement from editorship of Hitguj, he devoted his entire time for his wife, daughters and the grandchildren. 

 

 His exit from the life is tremendous loss not only to his immediate family but to his entire extended family of ‘Marathe Pratishthan’.  Members of the Karyakarini and trustees of the Pratishthan, always regarded him as a source of guidance. I knew him since our school days.  He was regarded as a brilliant and disciplined student.  It is therefore also a personal loss to me. 

 

 

May his sole rest in Peace.

 

 

Ramakant Vidwans

 

(President, Marathe Pratishthan)