Last two years have been very difficult for all of us. Covid-19, lockdown, virtual learning, working from home.. The entire world has changed its way to function on daily tasks. So many of us also lost their jobs. Luckily mid 2021 everything started opening up and 2022 brought a new zest in the job market. 100s of new jobs started popping up on social media everyday. People started jumping from one job to another. Market is very hot, is what everyone says!
Like everyone else, I also wanted to check where I stand in the job market. For all the job seekers there is one trusted go to hub … LinkedIn! Only professional posts, resume builder and very popular and trusted hub for both job seekers and employers. I uploaded my resume on LinkedIn and started my job hunt. Though I had no intentions to change my current job, I still wanted to check the market, so I started applying for ‘remote and part time’ positions. 

As social media is blooming all over, all the companies have opened their doors for video producers / editors to create social media content. So I was not surprised to see doctor’s offices, insurance companies or even banks, restaurant brands, manufacturing units seeking for video producers. I checked the lists of responsibilities and submitted my resume to a few different companies… not expecting any reply. 

To my surprise the very next day, Monday morning I received an email from one of the OB/GYN offices saying that I was shortlisted for further assessment. I went on the internet and searched for this company. It seemed to be a very reputed gynecologist office, associated with a big medical company in the state of Iowa. Fair enough! Who will have any doubts about a medical field? Especially when they work in complete compliance! I thought of giving it a shot and replied with the day I could take the assessment. 

Thursday morning 9.00am was blocked and I waited to hear more from them. Around 8.58am I got an email asking for my full name and email address. This was weird as they had my resume where I had my full name and email address… of course they have already emailed me so they do have it with them! But thinking they are just checking if I was ready for the assignment, they are just asking for something, I replied to them. Within 2 min I again got an email. This time a questionnaire was attached and was asked to answer all the questions and send it back in 45 min! Now I didn’t  have much time to think about anything and I answered all the questions. The questions were all professional like how would you deal with a demanding client? What would you do if your client doesn’t like your work? Etc..   Though I was 5 minutes late in submitting the questionnaire, I was happy that I did well in the test. My aim to revisit LinkedIn at this time was to check what kind of questions people ask during the interview and with this questionnaire I got some idea. My purpose was solved so I didn’t think much about actually getting the job and getting a reply back. 

Within 5 minutes again i received an email with the receipt of assessment and little more details about the job. It was a fully remote, per hour job with flexible hours. They were going to provide training for the first 3-4 days and after that the actual work starts. The rate per hour that they were offering was way too high and they were also offering company perks like health insurance, paid vacations, 401K etc. This was little weird because as far as I know, no company gives perks to consultants who are hired on a per hour basis! I didn’t think much about this and started my regular day. 

In literally one hour, I received an email saying, on the basis of my experience I have been hired! The first line itself made me standstill! The email was very long… as I started reading further I was in complete shock! Didn’t know how to react! Everything looked so perfect!! 100% remote, flexible hours, super high rate per hour, company perks and on top of that they would provide funds to set up a ‘mini office’ at home. They also sent a list of things that needed to be bought before training started. The list included everything from pencils, papers to iMac, softwares, fast internet access and even office furniture! 

Now I started getting doubts! There is no way any company would provide all these .. that too for someone who is hired on a per hour basis! I talked to my husband and my friend and they were also surprised! Finally we came to the conclusion that the job market is so crazy these days that companies are providing everything to keep good people! I was still surprised though! How did they know I was good at what I do? They had not seen any of my work! They hired me only on the basis of my resume and the questionnaire that I submitted an hour ago! And yet they are offering so much! This was too good to be true! 

I asked them to have a phone call so that I could get more information and know the team I am going to work with. I didn’t even know what kind of work I was going to be assigned!  My supposed reporting manager wrote that he will answer all my questions on the email but he will be in meetings the entire day and he could not call. Again a weird feeling!! Later that evening me and my husband took help of the internet and tried to find out more about this company. The company was surely legit. They have their website with all MD profiles etc. I saw my reporting manager’s name on the website too. He was a MD (Doctor of Medicine) himself! A thought crossed my mind, why would a video producer report to MD?? It was mentioned in the email that I will be reporting to him and after the training they will provide me with the list and contacts of other team members. The email was so systematic and provided with lots of information that will generate interest in the job. 

Next thing we noticed while browsing through their website was that they had an email with the company domain! My so-called reporting manager and even the HR (Human Resource) team were sending emails from Gmail and workspace.com! If the company has it’s own domain, why would (specially) HR use some other domain? 

There were so many red flags popping up! 

The perks, the hourly rate, the domain, the office supplies, avoiding phone calls… something was definitely wrong!

The next day the HR department sent an offer letter which was valid only for one day! Now I had just one day to make the decision. I Insisted on having a short 2 minutes call before signing the offer letter which was denied again. Then I started talking to my other friends. And as expected I got mixed responses! Some said it could be a fraud while some said this is today’s market! Confusion was hitting the sky now. By this time I had decided not to take the offer. I didn’t get any good feeling about this job from the beginning and when I don’t feel comfortable I don’t enter the room! But I wanted to know what it was all about. 

I read the offer letter thoroughly. Went through the list of material they would provide to set up the ‘mini office’. HR mentioned that they would buy all the material needed and they will deliver it at my doorstep. The list included iMac with dual monitor, printer with ink and cartridges, softwares for editing, high speed internet access, pencils, papers etc and also file cabinets, paper sorters and other furniture! Again a red flag! Why would I need a paper sorter and file cabinets?? Someone said it’s a medical company where everything is documented. Fair enough! Email is a legally approved document. Why would I need physical papers and files?? 

I started searching about ‘job scams’ and came across so many cases with fake job offers. But most of them were asking money beforehand to start the training. In this case they didn’t ask for any money (as yet). I dug into government listed fraud company names but did not find this company there.I went through all job/employment scam reports, but did not find anything to support my doubt.I knew it was a scam but I could not figure out what and how are they going to scam? 

I talked to one of my accountant friends and she started her search after being convinced that it was a scam. She came across a few reports after searching for ‘check scams’! And voila!! We found all the answers there!! 

This was a very systematic bank check scam!

So apparently, these scammers send a big amount of checks to buy the office supplies. (This fake check is usually sent via email or text!)  You print the check and deposit it in the bank. Then the scammer asks to send money from your account to their ‘designated vendors’ to buy the supplies. The bank is obligated to fund your account within 24hours of depositing the check and that’s why the bank can not tell if it’s a fake check at the time of depositing. By the time the bank realizes it was a fake check, scammers have already got money through your bank account (remember, the designated vendors’?)  and now you are in trouble because you are responsible for the check that you deposited! You need to pay the bank the amount that was ‘stolen’ from your account against the fake check! 

Wow!! This was staged so systematically!! The HR, the offer letter, the perks, the list of supplies, the compliance!! 

As of now this HR was saying (rather writing) that they will send the supplies to our door steps but as I was reading these scam reports, I received email from them saying,”till now they used to send the supplies but since Covid, they have made changes to their policies and now I need to buy the stuff from the designated vendors! And so they will send a check tomorrow.” They also mentioned that all those supplies (including iMac, furniture, printer etc) will all be mine if the employment continues for 12 weeks but for that the purchase receipt needs to have my name on it so money needs to go out from my account only!   

There was no place to ask any questions or generate any doubts! They had answers to ‘everything’!! Luckily my gut feeling, support from my husband and friends saved me from getting robbed! It was one scary experience I have ever had!! 

Next day I got an email from them saying their accounts department can not send the physical check, instead they will do a mobile deposit and they will contact me with further instructions! 

Oh yeah! Totally expected this move now!! I immediately replied and withdrew myself from the position. Reported this scam to all government sites and also informed the real company whose name was used for this scam. 

LinkedIn used to be a very trusted site for employees and employers! These scammers have entered there too! I was lucky that I was not in bad need of this job but whoever is in need would definitely fall for this scam. 

My humble request to all my friends and family to be very careful while living in the virtual world! You never know from where the scam will hit you! 

Here are few things I learnt from this experience : 

Trust your gut feelings / intuitions.

If it is too good to be true, check all the facts

Always check email domain.

Verify everything.

Have well wishers and good friends who help for your betterment!  

Referral links : 

https://www.lawyers.com/legal-info/consumer-protection/employment-scams/new-scams-target-job-seekers-use-fake-checks.html

Never Trust a Company Who Wants to Send You a Check to Pay For “Office Supplies”

Sent a check for office supplies for a remote position I just accepted. Is this suspicious? from personalfinance

Report all scams to : 

https://www.bbb.org/

https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/#/

Gayatri Jadhav

New Jersey

Mar 15, 2022

Library is always my favorite ‘go to’ place. I feel very comfortable and recharged when I visit any library. Woodbridge township library was my first library experience in the United States…I won’t lie, but I was completely lost when I entered this library. Thousands of different types of books, magazines, newspapers! First 30 minutes I was just wandering in the isles trying to get the hang of the place … completely lost… not sure where to start from!! 30 minutes inside a library and I didn’t even touch a single book! 

Still lost and trying to figure out what genre I wanted to jump into and suddenly my eyes fell on this thick hardcover book that was sitting on a cart, waiting to go back into the shelf. Very subtle white and blue colors, a young couple drenched in the rain. Certainly it was some romantic novel. Finally knowing the genre I was ‘ok’ to start my reading with, I grabbed that book. THE NOTEBOOK, it said in bold letters, by NICHOLAS SPARKS, followed after the title. That was my first introduction to the writer, Nicholas Sparks! This was back in 2009. 

I checked out this book from the library, came home and started reading. I was instantly hooked and couldn’t wait to read all the 214 pages in one go! That may be because it had a detailed description of small town life. I had recently moved to the USA and had no idea about any small towns out here. Nicholas Sparks literally introduced me to ‘American’ people, their culture, their thought process and most importantly the landscape. Not just the characters from the story but their surroundings were also described in detail. Noah and Allie were the first American people I got to know here!

Very soft love story with lots of details about the location and characters and a super twist at the end … that’s typical Nicholas Sparks. After The Notebook I got MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE. Again such a different love story! I mean, who will think of putting a note into a bottle, tossing it into an ocean and that’s where a love story begins! The way his stories unfold, the characters react or even that one twist is just amazing. We can not escape any details when we imagine the place or the way the characters talk to each other. Though at some point all these details get way too lengthy, we just get involved in the story, as if we are there around those characters… and of course keep waiting for that one twist at the end!  Most of his stories are from small towns from the south. By this time I had not seen much of America but if I say Nicholas Sparks showed me (or any of his readers) a true flavor of American small town, then that won’t be a lie! 

After MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE came A WALK TO REMEMBER, THE GUARDIAN, A BEND IN THE ROAD, THE WEDDING, NIGHTS IN RODANTHE, AT FIRST SIGHT, DEAR JOHN … pretty much everything that Nicholas published! Trauma that soldiers go through after war, American wedding plans, having a dog as a guardian, single parenting, fire fighters, friendship, love, secret admirer every story has its unique flavor with lots of emotional ups and downs… definitely ‘my type’ of fiction.

After this point I started to buy his books to make my own collection. I started to follow his news and kept track of any new book release. I also pre-ordered a few of his books. I just didn’t (still don’t) want to miss out on any of his novels. 

Then came a big wave of a movie library, the NETFLIX! And there he was!! Most of his books were made into movies. The Notebook, Dear John, A Walk to Remember, Message in a bottle, The longest ride, The last song all these movies are ‘based on Nicholas Sparks novels’

But somehow I always follow this quote “don’t judge a book by its MOVIE” I watched few of those movies but the flavor that we get from a book is not always conveyed in a movie. The depth, the characterization, locations are all unmatched or rather when you read a book, you tend to use your own imagination and make your own ‘movie’ in your mind. I always feel that imagination power is lost when you watch a movie! So when it comes to Nicholas Sparks, I always prefer a book over a movie. 

As I started following him on social media for his upcoming novels I got to know about his tours he plans during his book release. I saw that New Jersey was always included in his tours but some place very far from where I live. So the thought never even crossed my mind to attend any of his ‘meet the author’ events.

Then came the year 2020! The year of pandemic, lock down, quarantine etc. Life had come to a complete halt. Nothing was happening in person. The entire world was trapped into the digital world. Everything was virtual.  

2021 rolled up just like that and things started to open up a bit… slowly. New events started to show up on social media. Around May-June the ‘new novel’ post started popping up on Nicholas Sparks social media page. As always I was very excited and started following more for the release date or a date to open for pre-order. By July, his book release tour itinerary was released and this tour for his new novel had 2 events in New Jersey! Without a second thought I checked both the event locations and the very next moment, I booked the ticket… without even thinking of driving an hour away, weekday evening or looking for a company to join with me. Event was on September 28th… three months away… I immediately blocked my calendar. 

THE WISH was the new novel. Slowly social media was filled with the ‘WISH’ excitement. All the events at all the locations were sold out, the novel cover page was revealed. I was more excited because the ‘signed copy’ of the WISH was included in the ticket. Owning a book that is signed by the author himself is something I feel is a precious possession and I was very soon going to own one signed by Nicholas Sparks himself! I know how popular he is and how the event was all sold out, so I was not very sure how the ‘meet and greet’ will actually be, considering the pandemic age, social distancing and the crowd etc. Any typical book release events that I had attended back in India were something like this… we sit in the auditorium, the author and a few other chief guests are on the stage. After lots of speeches by all the guests on the stage a book is opened from the cover. Dozens of photographers block the view of the stage. Sometimes there is a Q&A session with the author and done! I was expecting something similar with the WISH. 

As I was counting days, I received an email saying that my ticket was upgraded with a chance to take a picture with the author himself. Now my excitement level was hitting the roof while imagining the event. Crowd is going crazy, lots of media, paparazzis and what not. Afterall he is the all time favorite storyteller with over 105 million copies sold all over the world! That too in this digital world! He has always been the New York Times Bestseller author. More than meeting Nicholas Spark himself I was more excited to hear him talk about the new novel. Me being a super introvert, I knew I was not going to cut through the crowd and tons of photographers and actually meet the author. As long as I see him on the stage and hear him talk about the new story I was going to be happy. And of course, a signed copy of the book was the kicker … until someone from my friend circle commented,”Is he really going to sign all these copies? Nah! His secretary will stamp his signature. Who has time to sign so many copies personally?” 

As the event got closer, I was getting anxious… thinking was it all worth it? Driving so far, during a weekday, late evening… to get to a super crowded place, just a glimpse of ‘The Nicholas Sparks’ and a signature stamped copy of his new book! But I already had a ticket and the plan was made three months ago so I had to give it a shot. If nothing, I was going to get the novel and a solo long drive (that means, some ‘me’ time)

Finally it was September 28th! I don’t remember how the day went by. Event was at 6.00pm and it was an hour long drive from my workplace. I left work at 4.00pm with mixed feelings… excited, anxious, happy, doubtful, all planned to post a picture of Nicholas Sparks on my wall etc… if not my picture with him, at least with the signed copy of the WISH. 

I reached this small town named Manasquan, New Jersey around 5.00pm. It’s a very small, cute town… perfect place for Nicholas Sparks to be, just like all his characters. My GPS brought me to a small parking lot between a tiny post office and a small (single screen type) theater. 

The town has to be very ‘arty’ to have this kind of theater these days. Parking lot was relatively small and also pretty empty. Thinking I was too early to reach the venue, I parked the car and planned to wander around till I see people coming to the theater. As I came out of the parking lot, to my surprise there was a long line outside the theater! Of course I dropped the plan to wander and went and stood in the line. The line was so long that it literally went around the theater and out on the road! Minutes ago I was thinking I was too early but now I wished I had left the work place earlier. Standing in the line I was observing the crowd, the Nicholas Sparks fans, just like me. Most of them were women (as expected, his love stories and emotional stories can easily attract women fans!) Could see a few men we could count on fingers, mostly accompanying their better halves. But the age range of his fan following is very wide. I didn’t see any other ‘Indian origin’ though. Wondering why, I went through all the comments all my Indian friends had… going alone? Driving that far? For book release? Stamped copy? Crowd? Why don’t you just watch a movie? Why can’t you just order the book? He is not going to meet his fans personally .. etc.. etc.. etc. Whatever it was, I was the odd one out there. 

After 10-15 minutes,  the line started moving and finally I entered the theater. Masks were still mandatory indoors. At entrance the organizing team was ready to take the temperature, to make sure everyone was wearing masks, to check the tickets and hand over a ‘signed copy’ of THE WISH. There were 6-7 carts near the entrance with about 300 copies of the blue covered book. Looking at so many copies, the first thought that came into mind was, surely it has to be a ‘stamped copy’ and not ‘signed’! Why will he spend so much time signing so many copies? I couldn’t resist and opened the book while entering the auditorium. The sign was actually looking like a handwritten sign! Yay!! I was holding a copy of a novel, personally signed by Nicholas Sparks! 

I found a seat near the aisle and the first thing we do these days is ‘check in’ on Facebook. I am no exception! I opened Facebook to ‘check in’ for the event and right then the event popped up on Nicholas Sparks Facebook page, along with his picture where he is sitting on a desk near the entrance (that we just passed), surrounded by those carts and he is signing the books! Personally! All the 300 books!! That’s it.. I thought.. paisa wasool! First doubt about the stamped copy was ruled out.

 

Within a few minutes the auditorium was full. Lights were dimmed and one of the organizers came on the stage to welcome everyone and to go through some rules and regulations, thanks to the pandemic period. He told us that after the event, Nicholas will be outside near the exit where the team will set up a stage for pictures. Beginning from the last row they will call out the numbers and we can meet him personally. Dang! Is this really happening?? But I was sure there would be a lot of chaos for his meet and greet with tons of paparazzis pushing each other, people going crazy to take pictures and meet him. I decided to wait and watch. I had got my signed copy, now anything else I would get was a bonus for me.

The stage was set up with very simple decor. A big poster of the book cover, one flower pot and 2 pumpkins…. Apt for the fall season… along with a small table and 2 chairs. At 6.00pm the host interviewer climbed up the stage, introduced himself, boost some extra energy in the audience and called for the celebrity of the day. Nicholas Sparks entered the stage and the audience went crazy! Claps, whistles and screams filled the auditorium. For the first time I realized the craze and saw the crowd actually going crazy. It took a few minutes for the organizers and Nicholas himself to calm the audience and the interview began.   

Nicholas Sparks told everything about how he started his writing career, about his family, about his challenges, his experiences, his anxiety with first book release, his team and of course about THE WISH. The NIcholas Sparks foundation that he started to support education in rural areas is an incredible way to give back to the community. The foundation believes in the power of education and works towards improved school systems by providing scholarships, curricular set up and mainly improving cultural and international understanding through global education experiences for students of all ages. He truly wined the hearts and minds of each and everyone present.

 

One hour just passed by and the event got over. Now it was time for the photo session. I still was skeptical about the whole process. So many people and the storyteller himself was at the venue. Even if I get a chance to meet him, who is going to take the picture? I was alone there. Nobody was accompanying me. I kept waiting until they announced my row number. We all went outside and stood in the line that led to the main exit. As we approached the main lobby, I could see lots of light at one of the walls that was covered with a step and repeat banner. Nicholas Sparks was standing near the banner. A transparent glass divider was set next to him. It was hardly visible but had to be there to keep safe social distance to fight against Covid-19. One by one or in the groups fans were standing across the glass partition. The author was meeting each and every one of the fans present there. There was a lot of excitement but the whole process was so smooth! There was no chaos, no confusion. A team of photographers had set up a camera to click pictures. As I approached the main stage one of the volunteers handed me a card with a website URL and a unique code. I was told that I could download the picture from this site. I didn’t have to worry about clicking the picture and only focused on meeting the man himself. People were patiently waiting for their turn. Little meet and greet and a quick picture and the line was moving really fast. They had to accommodate 300 people after all! Even after the back to back events and traveling etc Nicholas was standing there patiently, meeting each one of his fans, being very polite and being thankful for being there. The whole experience was so new. No media attention, no line breaking, no traffic jams, no paparazzis. It was pure appreciation from fans to their favorite story teller and vice-a-versa. I do not remember how and when I reached home after this super experience. By the time I reached home pictures were already uploaded on the given website and I could download them with the given code. I am not sure what impressed me more, the excitement to meet the author and his new novel or the management of this entire event! It was a very pure and cherishable experience I had had in a long time. Can’t wait for yet another new novel now!

• Gayatri Jadhav

www.gyotech.com

कोल्हापूरमधील मध्यवर्ती भागात, पाच बंगला परिसरातील ‘जदुबन’ हा वाडा सतत माणसांनी गजबजलेला. असंख्य आठवणी आणि अनेक माणसं या वाड्याशी जोडली गेलेली! याच वाड्यात मी लहानाची मोठी झाले. माझे आजोबा आप्पासाहेब जाधव एक अजब व्यक्तिमत्व! कोल्हापूरच्या जयप्रभा स्टुडिओमध्ये भालजी पेंढारकर यांच्याबरोबर त्यांनी अनेक वर्षे साउंड रेकॉर्डिस्ट म्हणून काम केले. शेरो शायरी, संगीत, नाटक, सिनेमा, साहित्य इतकेच नाही तर स्टॉक मार्केट, खेळ सगळ्याच विषयांवर ते कोणाशीही सहज गप्पा मारीत. त्यामुळे त्यांचा मित्रपरिवार किती मोठा होता याचा काही हिशोबच नाही! माझं भाग्य थोर म्हणूनच त्या पिढीतील अनेक नामवंत व्यक्तींच्या सहवासात माझं बालपण समृद्ध झाले. 

आजोबांचे खूप जवळचे मित्र, पु.ल.देशपांडे, कधीही कोल्हापूरला आले की जदुबनला आल्याशिवाय परतायचे नाहीत. फार लहान असतांना आम्हा मुलांना यामधले अप्रूप कळायचे नाही. फक्त एव्हढंच समजायचं की ‘भाई आजोबा आले की आम्हाला शाळेला दांडी मारायला परवानगी मिळायची आणि दुसऱ्या दिवशी शाळेत “पु.ल.देशपांडे घरी आले होते’ एव्हढीच चिठ्ठी चालायची! दोन्ही आजोबांच्या गप्पा तासनतास रंगायच्या. इतर वेळी ‘मोठ्या माणसांच्या गप्पा लहान मुलांनी ऐकू नयेत’ म्हणून रागवणारे आई बाबा या गप्पांच्या वेळी मात्र आम्ही तेथे बसून ऐकतोय ना याची पूर्ण काळजी घेत. त्या गप्पा म्हणजे आठवणींचं भांडार असायचं! ग.दि.माडगूळकर, वसंत बापट, सुधीर फडके, मा.विनायक अशा किती लोकांच्या गोष्टी ते सांगायचे. 

पुढे ‘एक झुंज वाऱ्याशी’ हे पुस्तक पु.लं नी त्यांचा मित्र आप्पा याला अर्पण केलं तेव्हा जदूबनच्या गच्चीवर आजोबांना शाल, श्रीफळ आणि पुस्तक देऊन पु.लं नी त्यांच्या मैत्रीची दाद दिली. आम्ही कुटुंबीयांनी तो मैत्रीचा सॊहळा खूप जवळून अनुभवला. 

चंद्रकांत, सूर्यकांत हे मराठी चित्रपटसृष्टीतील नामवंत तारे. दोघेही आजोबांचे मित्र. सूर्यकांत मांडरे पुण्यात राहत होते पण चंद्रकांत मांडरे कोल्हापूर मध्ये स्थायिक झाले होते. जदूबन पासून जवळच राजारामपुरी मध्ये ‘चंद्रकांत मांडरे कलादालन’ आजही आहे. चंद्रकांत मांडरे अतिशय उत्कृष्ट चित्रकार होते. या कलादालनात त्यांनी काढलेली चित्रे… पोर्ट्रेटस, तैलचित्र प्रदर्शनास मांडली आहेत. ते स्वतः याच वास्तूत वरच्या माडीवर राहत. तैलचित्र, पेन्सिल शेडींग या खूप लोकांना अवगत असणाऱ्या कला आहेत पण पावडर शेडींग फार दुर्मिळ आहे. त्याच्या प्रसारासाठी प्रत्येक उन्हाळ्याच्या सुट्टीत ते मुलांसाठी मोफत कार्यशाळा चालवत. एका उन्हाळयाच्या सुट्टीत माझा पाय दुखावला होता आणि दीड एक महिना प्लास्टर मध्ये होता. मी त्यावेळी भरपूर चित्र काढायचे. माझा हा छंद बघून आजोबा मला चंद्रकांत मांडरेंना भेटायला घेऊन गेले. दुखावलेल्या पायाने कशीबशी कुबड्या घेऊन मी आजोबांसोबत दुसऱ्या माडीवर त्यांना भेटायला गेले. ते बघताच आधी ते आम्हा दोघांनाही “मोडक्या पायानी इतक्या पायऱ्या चढायची काय गरज होती?” म्हणून रागावले! त्यानंतर त्यांनी माझी चित्रकलेची वही बघितली. ती पाहून ते म्हणाले, ’रोज सकाळी १० ते १२ माझ्याकडे मुलं शिकायला येतात. तुम्ही दुपारी दोन वाजता या.’’ (लहानांपासून मोठ्यांपर्यंत सगळ्यांना आदरार्थी संबोधणे हे कोल्हापूरचे वैशिष्ट्य) आजोबांच्या आणि मांडरेंच्या गप्पा पुढे बराच वेळ चालल्या आणि मी विचार करत बसले की मला इतर मुलांबरोबर का नाही शिकवणार? मला उशिरा यायला का सांगितले असेल? 

दुसऱ्या दिवशी दोन वाजता मी तेथे गेले. पायऱ्या शेजारी उजव्या बाजूला एक छोटी खोली होती. त्या खोलीच्या दारात खुर्ची टाकून स्वतः चंद्रकांत मांडरे इथे बसले होते. मला म्हटले,”तुम्हाला पायऱ्या चढल्या लागू नयेत म्हणून हि खोली रिकामी करून घेतली. आपण इथेच बसू.” मी ढसाढसा रडायचीच बाकी होते. दुखावलेल्या पायानी माझ्यासारख्या १७-१८ वर्ष्याच्या मुलीला पायऱ्या चढून वरती यावे लागू नये म्हणून हि ८० वर्षांची वल्ली स्वतः पायऱ्या उतरून (आणि वामकुक्षीच्या वेळ बदलून) खाली आली होती! मला खूप संकोचल्यासारखे झाले आणि त्यांनी असे करू नये यासाठी पुन्हा एकदा आजोबांची शिफारस घ्यावी लागली. चार दिवसांनी शिफारस मान्य झाली आणि मी इतर मुलांबरोबर सकाळी जाऊन पावडर शेडींग शिकू लागले. मराठीचा त्यांना किती अभिमान असावा हे पहिल्याच दिवशी दिसून आले! चित्राच्या ग्राफसाठी कागदावर आकडे घालायला त्यांनी सांगितले. मी सवयीनुसार इंग्रजी मधून आकडे घातले. त्यावर ते इतके नाराज झाले की त्यानंतर आजतागायत चित्र काढताना मी मराठीच आकडे लिहिते! पावडर शेडिंग साठी कागद गुंडाळून “स्टंप” बनवला जातो. त्यांनी सगळ्यांना तो बनवायला शिकवला परंतु स्वतः बनवलेला स्टंप त्यांनी मला वापरायला दिला. अजूनही तो मी जपून ठेवला आहे. 

भालजी पेंढारकर … बाबा… म्हणजे आजोबांचे दैवत! माझा दहावीचा निकाल लागल्यानंतर बाबांचा आशीर्वाद घेण्यासाठी आजोबा मला जयप्रभा स्टुडिओ मध्ये घेऊन गेले. स्टुडिओच्या आवारात एका छोट्याश्या घरात भालजी राहायचे. अतिशय साधी राहणी पण स्टुडिओच्या आवारात शिरताच दबदबा जाणवावा. त्या छोट्याश्या घरात एका खाटेवर बाबा बसले होते. खोलीमध्ये असंख्य पुस्तके आणि शिवाजी महाराजांचा एक पुतळा होता. भालजी हे शिवभक्त होते हे सगळ्यांना माहित आहेच. आजोबांनी स्टुडिओमध्ये सगळ्यांना पेढे वाटले. मला बाबांचा आशीर्वाद घेण्यास सांगितले. बाबा एव्हडेच बोलले, ”माझा नाही शिवरायांचा आशीर्वाद घ्या!” मी शिवरायांच्या पुतळ्याला नमस्कार केल्यानंतरच त्यांनी मला त्याच्या पाया पडू दिल्या! आशीर्वाद म्हणून माझ्या हातावर त्यांनी एक रुपयाचे नाणे ठेवले. माझ्या आजोबांना हि सवय कुठून लागली याचे उत्तर मला तिथे सापडले! शिवरायांचे भक्त बाबा आणि बाबांचे भक्त आजोबा… निस्सीम भक्ती काय असते ती मला तिथे त्या छोट्याशा खोलीत अनुभवायला मिळाली! तेथेच एका बाजूला सुलोचना (दीदी) आणि त्यांची मुलगी कांचन (घाणेकर) बसल्या होत्या. त्यांचेही आशीर्वाद घेऊन, थोडा वेळ गप्पा मारून आम्ही तेथून निघालो. 

सुलोचना माझ्या आजोबांच्या बहिणी सारख्या होत्या. अनेकवेळा जदूबनच्या हॉलमध्ये कांचन घाणेकर, सुलोचना आणि आजोबांच्या गप्पा चालत. आम्हा मुलींना मात्र कांचन घाणेकर यांच्या लांबसडक वेणीचंच खूप अप्रूप वाटायचं! पुढे काही वर्षांनी आजोबांच्या ८० व्या वाढदिवसानिमित्त मी त्यांच्यावर एक डॉक्यूमेंटरी फिल्म बनवली. त्यावेळी सुलोचनादीदींशी बोलून त्यांच्या मुलाखतीची वेळ घेतली. ठरल्या वेळेला मी मुंबईला त्यांच्या घरी गेले. मुलाखतीनंतर त्यांनी माझ्या हातात एक सलवार कमीजचे कापड ठेवले आणि म्हणाल्या,”दिवाळी तोंडावर आली आहे. मी माझ्या घरच्या सगळ्या मुलींसाठी कापड घेते. तू ही माझ्या घरची मुलगी आहेस. हे घे नाहीतर मला वाईट वाटेल. कांचनच्या पसंतीचं कापड आहे, बघ आवडतं का?” आवड न आवडण्याचा प्रश्नच नव्हता. मी भारावून नुसतीच उभी राहिले. तेव्हड्यात “आणखी कोणाकोणाच्या मुलाखती घेणार?” असे त्यांनी विचारले आणि मी उत्तर देणार त्या आधीच एक कागद माझ्या हातात दिला. त्यावर रमेश देव, लता मंगेशकर, प्रभाकर पेंढारकर,अनंत माने, जयश्री टी. अश्या लॊकांचे पत्ते आणि फोन नंबर होते. “या सगळ्यांना फोन कर. त्यांनाही आपासाहेबांबद्दल बोलायला आवडेल.” अशी सूचना केली. अश्या सगळ्या दिग्गजांना फोन करून त्यांची वेळ घेणे, त्यांची मुलाखत घेणे हा विचार करूनच मला दडपण आले पण एकेक फोननंतर ते दडपण नाहीसे झाले. सगळ्यांनी खूप आपुलकीने मला घरी बोलावले आणि त्यांच्या जुन्या मित्राबद्दल भरभरून बोलले. लता मंगेशकरांची तब्येत बरी नसल्यामुळे त्यांची मुलाखत घेता आली नाही पण त्यांच्या ‘फुले वेचिता’ आत्मचरित्रामधून ‘आप्पासाहेब जाधव’ यांचा संदर्भ डॉक्यूमेंटरीमध्ये वापरण्याची परवानगी दिली. 

रमेश देव यांच्या जुहूच्या घरी त्यांनी मला बोलावले आणि आप्पाची नात म्हणून भरपूर खातिरदारी केली. मुलाखतीनंतर एक दीड तास माझ्याशी मनसोक्त गप्पा मारल्या. कोल्हापूरच्या आठवणी आणि शुटिंगमधले भरपूर किस्से त्यांनी सांगितले आणि निघताना म्हणाले, ”आता अश्या जुन्या आठवणी ऐकणारं कोणी नाही. खूप बरं वाटलं तुझ्याशी बोलून.” प्रभाकर पेंढारकर, राम गबाले यांनीही मुलाखतीसाठी भरपूर वेळ दिला. राम गबाले हे विख्यात दिग्दर्शक! त्याच्यासमोर कॅमेरा मागे उभी राहून मी दिग्दर्शन करायचं या विचाराने मी गांगरून गेले होते. पण त्यांनी निक्षून सांगितले, ”तुम्ही या फिल्म च्या दिग्दर्शिका आहात. तुम्ही सांगाल तसे तंतोतंत मी करणार. सांगा, कुठे बसू? कुठे बघू? किती वेळ बोलू?” जवळजवळ एक तासभर त्यांची मुलाखत भरपूर रंगली. बाबासाहेब पुरंदरे ही त्यांच्या मित्राबद्दल भरभरून बोलले. आजोबांकडून ऐकलेला एक किस्सा मी त्यांना सांगितला. जाणता राजाच्या शो साठी ते जेव्हा जेंव्हा कोल्हापूरला येत तेव्हा तेव्हा न चुकता रोज सकाळी जदुबनवर आजोबांना भेटायला येत… ते ही घोड्यावरून! त्यावर त्यांनीही जुन्या आठवणींना उजाळा दिला आणि असे भरपूर किस्से सांगितले. साक्षात शिवशाहिरांकडून आजोबांची एवढी स्तुती मला प्रत्यक्ष ऐकायला मिळाली! दिनकर द. पाटील हे माझ्या आजींचे भाऊ आणि त्याहूनही जास्त आजोबांचे मित्र! अनेकवेळा या दोघांचा पत्रव्यवहार चालत असे. ‘दिनकर आजोबांचे हस्ताक्षर’ हा आजही आमच्याकडे स्पेशल विषय आहे.. पहिल्या दोन ओळीतच आजोबा खूप वैतागायचे आणि मग पुढचे पत्र वाचायची जबाबदारी माझ्याकडे यायची. अक्षर लागे-लागेपर्यंत किमान तासभर तरी जायचा! सुलोचना, सीमा देव यांच्याबद्दल लिहितांना ‘आमची नायिका’ आणि चंद्रकांत-सूर्यकांत बद्दल ‘आमचे नायक’ असे संबोधन ऐकून (आणि वाचून) खूप मजा वाटायची. प्रत्येकवेळी पत्र वाचनानंतर आजोबा आवर्जून सांगायचे, ”शुद्ध हस्ताक्षर काढण्याचा सराव ठेव. हे असे अक्षर मुळीच असू नये.” आणि कधी दिनकर आजोबांचा फोन आला किंवा ते घरी आले कि पहिली किमान १० मिनिटे तरी गलिच्छ अक्षरावरून त्यांची हजामपट्टी व्हायची. पण म्हणून कधी हा पत्रव्यवहार कमी झाला नाही! आजोबांच्या पंच्याहत्तरीच्या काही महिनेच आधी मंगेश पाडगावकर आणि अरुण दाते यांच्याशी आजोबांची ओळख झाली होती. त्या दोघांनी आजोबांना वचन दिले होते की त्यांच्या पंच्याहत्तरीला आम्ही जदुबनच्या गच्चीवर गाणं म्हणणार आणि कविता वाचन करणार. आणि खरोखरच दोघेही ६ ऑक्टोबरला कोल्हापूरमध्ये दाखल झाले! मंगेश पाडगावकर आम्हा मुलांना भरपूर विनोदी कविता ऐकवायचे तर अरुण दाते त्यांच्या लहानपणीचे अनेक मजेदार किस्से आम्हाला ऐकवायचे.

खरंच, ती पिढी काही औरच होती. आजच्यासारखं मित्रांशी सहज भेट होणं, व्हाट्स अँप वरून ‘कॉन्टॅक्ट’ मध्ये रहाणं वगैरे प्रकार तेव्हा नव्हतेच. पण मैत्री मात्र निखळ आणि घट्ट होती. महिनोंमहिने बोलणंही व्हायचं नाही पण जेव्हा बोलायचे तेव्हा मनापासून, भरभरून बोलायचे! मैत्री पुढे प्रसिध्दि, नाव, वय सगळंच शून्य! मी खूप खूप नशीबवान कि अशी मैत्री मला खूप जवळून अनुभवता आली! डॉक्यूमेंटरी फिल्म YouTube वर ‘जदुबनचा किल्लेदार’ या नावाने उपलब्ध आहे.

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