Sadashiv Pandurang Sane aka Sane Guruji (1899-1950) was a well-known teacher, philosopher, author and a poet. His most famous work is his autobiographical work 'Shyamchi Aai', about his mother Yashoda and the lessons he learned from her, which was made into a film that won the President's Gold Medal in 1954.
The book is split into forty two stories, each told by Shyam to his friends in an ashram, one per night. Each story has a lesson in equality, forbearance, courage, self-respect, honesty, tough love, love for all human beings and is told through an incident that actually happened in his life with his mother. Shyam's father was originally from a rich family but he was cheated of his inheritance and lived most of his life in poverty. His wife Yashoda supported every decision of his and brought up her children with dignity, care and love and the right guidance. As her favorite son, Shyam helped his mother as much as he could, in household work, even doing women's work, pressing her feet, taking care of her when he was ill, which she was frequently. A couple of his siblings die to illness. Shyam's father agrees to send him away to Aundh to study and while he was there, his mother passes away. That their house is auctioned off to pay the money lender's dues also bears heavily on poor Yashoda.
Apart from the lessons and life of the Sane family, the book gives a wonderful insight into life in a typical middle class family in Konkan district - the food, the customs, the games and thanks to the book, will be forever captured.
It is translated into English by Shanta Gokhale and she mentions that she has reduced the drama and tears and focused on the lessons than on the hardships. Sane Guruji went ahead and completed his education, doing his BA in Marathi and Sanskrit and MA in Philosophy from New Poona College and then chose to teach in Pratap High School Amalner, a small town in Jalgaon district. He remained unmarried and was given the title of National Teacher.
Interestingly Shobha's maternal grandfather Mr Oak was also Head of the Philosophy College in Amalner around the same period, so I am sure they would have met.
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