------------------------------------------------------------------------ * * * * * * * * * ANNUAL GOANETTERS MEET * * * * * * * * * ------------------------------------------------------------------------
Goanetters in Goa and visiting meet Jan 6, 2009 at 3.30 pm at Hotel Mandovi (prior to the Goa Sudharop event, which you're also welcome to). Join in for a Dutch dinner -- if we can agree on a venue after the meet. RSVP (confirmations only) 9822122436 or 2409490 or [email protected] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Prof Kashinath Kelekar (also called Avinash) was my cousin. Not a first cousin, but related. Avinash grew up in Mumbai. He did his Mechanical Engineering degree from VJTI, Mumbai and later did an MTech. Being one of the first ones to be an engineer in the Kelekar family, and ten years older to me, Avinash was my role model. Avinash was very good academically; also, his wife Padmini was his class mate. The two had a love marriage, and the couple was such that all of us looked upto them. Avinash was a great admirer of mine, and used to encourage me in various things. On my first day at IIT at the Powai campus, Avinash was one of the persons who accompanied me. He would generously give his time for others. He was also a very modest person. Avinash was very much fond of Goa, and after a few years of working in Mumbai, he decided to move to Goa for good with his family. Thus, he and Padmini made Goa their home. He taught first at Agenlo Polytechnic, later at Bicholim Polytechnic and finally at Goa Engineering College. Avinash loved his field of endeavour. In his days, mechanical engineering was much in demand, and he stuck to that discpline. At Goa Engineering, he used to teach a course called 'tool design' -- a hard core production engineering subject of which he was a master. Also, wanting to pursue his interests in research, he gave up his administrative position of being a head of the department, and instead decided to be just a teacher, as the admin. duties used to take a lot of his time. Avinash passed off suddenly leaving all of us heart-broken. He was only 56. He has two lovely children --- Aditya, who is a journalist working with the Express Group, and Arati Sule who is a medical doctor based in the US. True to his nature of giving, Avinash donated his eyes so that others could get sight. regards, Samir
