Dr Madhukar Anant Mehendale. This 98-year-old living legend defies his age. Whenever we see him strolling in our colony in Sevagram, he reminds us of his wit, intelligence, sense of humour and deep love for languages and history- qualities that leave us mightily impressed. We have one more reason to be proud about: his son, Ashok Mehendale (1976 batch alumnus) is our next door neighbour.
Last week, Dr Mehendale was honoured in Pune for his rich contributions to history and ancient languages. A documentary showcasing his life and times was shown in Pune last Sunday. Dr GB Deglurkar, Vice Chancellor of Deccan College Post Graduate and Research Institute, Pune felicitated him on this occasion. Gifted with a memory that would put the proverbial elephant to shame, and a thundering voice, he took the audience down the memory lane. “In 1942, my essay won me the Bhagwanlal Indraji gold-medal. The medal weighed five Gms – worth Rs. 250 in 1942.” He also acknowledged with gratitude his association with Deccan College, Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute and Vedic Research institutes and how his career was shaped by these institutes.
“Some are born great, some have greatness thrust upon them, and some achieve greatness by their outstanding work. Dr Mehendale belongs to the last category,” said Dr Deglurkar on this occasion.
“ I often wonder, how a man with such an incisive intellect and one who has lived all his life in pursuit of knowledge and research can be so simple, self-effacing and so humble,” said, Mr. Onkar Pradhan, who directed a small documentary depicting his life.
Born in Harsud, a small village in the Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh, this man—he loved to swim and play—completed his graduation from Baroda College in 1937 and came to Wilson College, Mumbai for post-graduation. But it was Pune, where he blossomed and flowered. He obtained his doctoral degree at Deccan College Postgraduate and Research Institute, Pune, delving deep in “Historical Grammar of Inscriptional Prakrits”—the subject of his doctorate. He taught in Bagalkot, moved to Navsari before rediscovering his roots again in Pune. A teacher of Sanskrit and Linguistics at Pune University, he also taught at Gottingen University, Germany and Yale University, USA.
Dr Mehendale was fascinated by Sanskrit, several Middle Indo-Aryan languages such as Prakrit, Rig Veda, Mahabharata and sacred texts of the Zoroastrianism—Avesta.
Worldwide, the Sanskrit lovers and Sanskrit scholars know Dr. Mehendale for his scholarly work on “Dictionary of Sanskrit on Historical Principles” and “Reflections on the Mahabharata War”, not to mention his work on Rock-Inscriptions and Avesta. Most of his books, with multiple editions, have found a place in the renowned libraries, worldwide.
Dr Mehendale now spends time for his own reading and playing with grandchildren. He even translated the world-famous novel “The Little Prince” from French to Marathi, a testimony of his love for his grandchildren and a subject far away from his routine of scholarly Sanskrit texts. “Shri Bhagwat Gita and Vishnu Sahastra Naam keep on beckoning me,’ he recently said, “and the spirit is willing but the flesh is not as strong.”