Painganga River: The River That Shaped Our Childhood

 Growing up in Mehkar, the Painganga River was much more than a river for us. It was our playground, our swimming pool, and the place where some of our best childhood memories were created.

Before the Pentakli Dam was completed around 2003, the Painganga River flowed with plenty of water throughout the 12 months. During heavy rains, the river would swell so much that water often overflowed the bridge. For us children, it was an exciting sight.

During my childhood, I had many groups of friends. Some were older than me, and some were younger. I had friends for cricket, swimming, lane games (like Vitti Dandu, Kacchi Gotya, Chor Police, and Tag,) school and tuition friends, study friends, and even a group of naughty friends who would stand up to people who tried to bully or dominate us.

Every group was special in its own way, and I was happy to be part of all of them. Each group gave me different experiences.

My friends and I were passionate swimmers. We often skipped school and rushed to the river or riverside full overflow well to spend hours in the water without intimating at home :) . 

Jumping from the British constructed bridge into the river gave us a thrill that is hard to describe. We played countless games in the water, including tag means control your breathe under water and sim farway from one who caught and ball games. 

One of our favourite game was throwing a ball into the water. The person who caught it had to find and tag the player who threw it. Simple games, but they gave us endless joy.

But the other part came when I returned home. we all lived as joint family My parents(specially my auntie) immediately knew that I had skipped school and gone swimming in the river. They would just look at me and smile. I always wondered how they could tell so quickly. 

Later, I realized why. My hair would still be wet, and all the hair oil would be washed away.  my skin would become pale and dry after spending hours in the water. No matter how hard I tried to hide it, the Painganga River always gave away my secret. Parents somehow know everything, even when we think we have fooled them! 😊

None of my friends and I were experts in swimming, but we were adventurous. We practiced together, taught each other, teased each other ;)😀 , and learned how to swim. I think it was one of the best experiences of my life.

When I saw some of my friends fearlessly jump from the bridge into the water, I was amazed. After a few days (no no in years 😕), I also tried it. I felt very happy and excited after that. From 1990 to 2000, I enjoyed my life a lot and made many wonderful memories.

The river water was crystal clear in winter days for some areas that we exlplorerd. On bright sunny days, the blue sky reflected on the water, making it look even more beautiful. Those moments are still fresh in my memory.

Over time, things changed. After the construction of the dam, much of the river water was diverted. Gradually, the Painganga River near Mehkar lost its strength and beauty. Today, only a small amount of water flows through the river except monsoon season. The lively river of our childhood has almost vanished.

Among all my memories of the river, one incident remains unforgettable.

One day, around nine or ten of us were swimming together all are my neighbour(Sagar, Kailash, Sam, Pintu, Amol, Manoj, Atul). As usual, we decided to swim from one side of the river to the other. 

After swimming for some time, I became tired and stopped to catch my breath. I tried to place my feet on the riverbed to rest, but I unknowingly reached a deep hole in the river.Digging out sand deepens and widens the river channel, which ruins the natural flow of water and overnight unknown holes to river are threat to swimmers.

Suddenly, I lost support and began sinking. Panic took over. I struggled to breathe, and water started entering through my nose and mouth. For a few terrifying moments, I felt completely helpless. I honestly thought it might be my last day.

Fortunately, one of my friends noticed that something was wrong. He was standing nearby and immediately came to help. Without wasting a second, he grabbed me and pulled me to safety.

That friend saved my life that day.

Even now, whenever I visit my hometown, I make it a point to meet him. Every time I thank him in mind, I am reminded of how precious friendship and life truly are.

The river may have changed beause of dam, but the memories, friendships, and lessons it gave us will stay with me forever. ❤️

The Day I Saw Death Very Closely

 In my life, I have seen how the last day of life might look. I feel as if I came back from death to life. This happened on a Holi day approximate year is 1995-96.

My father was staying at our farm for two months to take care of wheat cultivation. My responsibility during those two months was to take tiffin to him every day. Our home was about 4–5 km from the farm, but the route was not easy. Only 30% was proper road. The rest was through the river path—sand, water, small ups and downs, and narrow tracks passing through other people’s farms filled with babul, mango, and tamarind trees.

On that day, I gave tiffin to my father and stayed in the farm for 2–3 hours with him and the workers. Slowly, the weather started changing. From sunlight to dark clouds everywhere. By 3 pm, the day looked like evening. The farm workers told me to go home immediately, because heavy rain was coming. Without telling my father anything, I took my bicycle and started my journey back.

My route began through the sandy river path. I was enjoying the cool air and watching the clouds while riding. When I reached the river bridge, one truck passed near me. At the same moment, a big block of ice—around 3 kg—fell on the bridge and slid straight into the river. I thought someone in the truck had thrown it. But then another ice block fell beside me and broke loudly. That’s when I realized the truth: it was hailstorm.

From here, my home was only 2 km away. I started cycling fast. The hailstones got bigger and heavier. By God’s grace, none of them hit me while I was on the cycle.

As I reached near my hometown, I saw the Hanuman temple near jakat naka that time. Suddenly a huge hailstone hit my bicycle. I immediately threw the cycle on the road and ran into the temple for shelter.

Slowly, more and more people gathered there to save their lives. I saw one woman crying silently because a hailstone had hit her shoulder very badly. I felt deep empathy for her.

The temple had a strong steel roof, but when the hailstones hit it, the sound felt like if someone’s head was below it, that person would go straight to heaven. That was the power of those hailstones.

After about 30 minutes, the hailstorm stopped and everyone left for home.

That day was Holi. When I reached home, my friends were already waiting for me for celebration and gossip about hellstorm. I went there as if nothing had happened. After one hour, my father came from the farm just to check whether I was safe. He hugged me tightly and went back to the farm. I was only 13 years old at that time—the most loved only child boy in the family.

A day after the hailstorm, my friends and I went again to the farm with tiffin for my dad. On the same route, we saw more than 50 dead herons. They had been resting on the trees and were all hit by the hailstones. Some farmers also suffered big losses—many of their cattle died in the storm, and their crops were destroyed. People told us that the rooftop of the Mehkar grain market, Pratap talkies and police line quarters looked like a sieve, because the hailstones had punched holes all over the roof.

One person found a piece of hailstone inside his warehouse. That hailstone had fallen from the sky during the hailstorm. It hit the tin roof, made a hole in it, and fell straight down onto the wooden bhusa (dry fodder) stored inside .Because the bhusa is dry and acts like insulation, the hailstone did not melt. After one full day, the hailstone was found almost exactly the same as it was when it fell.

When it was weighed, the hailstone was found to be around 10 kilograms.

From the time of my birth until today, 19 April 2026, I have never seen or heard of such a huge hailstone before. Someone from our hometown had also lost his life in that hailstorm.

Two days later, a friend told me a story . A famous Maharaj from Mehkar had a hailstone fall near him, and the story said that the hailstone threatened to destroy all sons and daughters. The Maharaj picked it up, threw it away and said, “Go away from my Mehkar.” At that age, I believed it completely, and I felt he had saved all of us that day.

today, whenever I visit my hometown and see that Hanuman temple, I feel something deep inside me. The place has now changed a lot with new construction, but the old temple still lives in my memory. I stop there for a while and my eyes become slightly wet. I feel very grateful in my heart.

Anjani Putra Hanuman ki jay .

I understood one thing: without God presence, you cannot even breathe on this earth.
Hari Om.

Holi Memories of 90s Rural Kids

Holi festival comes when summer begins. At that time, palash flowers bloom and seem to tell everyone that it is time to bring colors into life.

My friends and I used to plan our Holi celebration almost one month in advance. There were five to seven of us. For Holika Dahan, we needed dry cow or buffalo dung cakes (gaurya) and dry wood. In those days, these things were not available for sale in shops.

So we had to collect them ourselves. Sometimes we went door to door asking people in the name of Holi. Sometimes, late at night, we went to faraway farms, even crossing the Painganga River, to collect dry wood and dung cakes that were kept there. It was risky, because if a farmer caught us, we could get into trouble. Everything depended on planning, teamwork, and courage.

Looking back today, I feel lucky that our parents trusted us. They allowed us to go out at night without too many questions. Nowadays, this kind of freedom is rare. Times have changed, and most children stay much closer to home.

We always made a proper plan. First, around 7 pm, we searched for two or three donkeys and tied them near a tree as this idea came to our one of great friend, and no one knows that, that why we achieve out collection target very fast. After dinner, around 10 pm, we all gathered and started our mission.

After reaching the target farm, one friend climbed a tree to keep watch and check if anyone was coming. If he gave a positive signal, the rest of us quickly collected the wood and gaurya from where it was stored. We filled two or three sacks, loaded them onto the donkeys, and ran away at hometown.

After every successful heist, we stored everything at our secret place. Other groups from nearby colonies were also collecting the same things, so secrecy was very important. After almost one month, we had around 1,000 to 1,200 dung cakes and plenty of dry wood. When everyone agreed that it was enough, we stopped collecting more.

On the day of Holi, we arranged the gaurya and wood around a big erandel (castor) tree. The structure was round and strong. After it was ready, all the families from the colony gathered. We performed puja and then lit the Holika fire with joy and happiness.

After the families went back home, we friends stayed together. We teased each other, laughed, and shouted funny traditional Holi lines like:

“Holi maai, Holi maai, as kasa kela,
Rajuchya ghar varun gadhad gela!”

and

“Holi re Holi, purnachi poli,
Sahebachya gadi var bandukichi goli!”

We played, teased, and celebrated freely. Today, no one close to us really understands how we enjoyed those days.

Those were the adventures of 90s rural kids—simple life, strong friendships, and unforgettable memories.
East or west, 90s rural kids were the best.

Our Bond with Nature and Birds

 My family and I are nature lovers. For the last 17 years, we have been regularly keeping pots of water for sparrows and crows, especially in summer.

From our observations, birds are very intelligent and careful. First, one bird comes early and observes. Then another bird arrives. While one bird drinks water, the other keeps watch. Some birds sit quietly on nearby tree branches and observe from a distance. At first, many birds are not visible.

Slowly, when they feel safe and comfortable, all fear disappears. Then they come together in groups, such as a group of sparrows or a group of crows, to drink cool water.

Early in the morning, watching them makes us very happy. They drink water, use the pot like a bathtub, and enjoy bathing while making sweet chirping sounds. They start the day with joy. After bathing, they shake their bodies to dry themselves naturally. Their feathers and tiny hairs become neat and fluffy, and their bodies look almost twice their real size.

If one day the water pot is empty, they call us with their sweet sounds, just like family members. It feels as if they are asking for water or food. Their way of communication is very special.

Crows are especially intelligent birds. They do not just take what we give them. Many times, they return something as a gift. They bring small stones, shiny objects, broken mirror pieces, or bits of cups. These are precious to them, so they offer them to us in return.

You need a certain vision and emotion to understand these gifts and accept them. When we accept their gifts, we feel they are happy, because giving and taking completes the bond. My daughter collects these gifts and shows them to me.

Whenever there is danger in our garden, like a snake or cats, the birds sense it immediately. Sparrows and crows make special warning sounds and work together. Their noise scares the snake or cats away. In this way, they protect our home without us realizing it.

We feel we are surrounded by natural security. We just need to observe their actions, sounds, and behavior carefully.

Maybe we understand only a little, but I truly believe they also give us blessings.

For the past ten years, two cows come to our house every day between 11 a.m. and 12 p.m. They ask my wife for fresh rotis usin their neck's shake and sound. I feel all these blessings come from our good deeds and kindness toward nature.

Everything happens through our hands, and for that,
Thank you, God.

We Blessed....

नाचन लाग्यो रे बैरागी मन
अरे, भागन लाग्यो रे बैरागी बन

आज उनसे मिलना है हमें
आज उनसे मिलना है हमें

चलो, उनके लिए कुछ लेते चलें
और उनको दुआएँ देते चलें
थोड़ी गुजिया‑वुजिया लेते चलें
थोड़ी बर्फ़ी‑वर्फ़ी लेते चलें

आज उनसे मिलना है हमें
आज उनसे मिलना है हमें

आ… आ… आ…

महलों की रानी है, सुंदर‑सयानी है
वो खानदानी है, जाने दिल
क्या‑क्या ख़रीदें हम, क्या न ख़रीदें हम
क्या दें निशानी, ये है मुश्किल

महलों की रानी है, सुंदर‑सयानी है
वो खानदानी है, जाने दिल
क्या‑क्या ख़रीदें हम, क्या न ख़रीदें हम
क्या दें निशानी, ये है मुश्किल

थोड़ी मठरी‑वठरी लेते चलें
थोड़ी चकली‑च्यूड़ा लेते चलें
कुछ तीखा‑वीखा लेते चलें
हो, कुछ खट्टा‑मीठा लेते चलें

आज उनसे मिलना है हमें
आज उनसे मिलना है हमें

आ… आ… आ…

उनसे मिलेंगे तो हम क्या कहेंगे
ये सोचा, न समझा, न जाना है
शायद कहें ऐसे, उनका हमेशा से
सर‑आँखों पर ही ठिकाना है

उनसे मिलेंगे तो हम क्या कहेंगे
ये सोचा, न समझा, न जाना है
शायद कहें ऐसे, उनका हमेशा से
सर‑आँखों पर ही ठिकाना है

थोड़े काजू‑किशमिश लेते चलें
सब थोड़ा‑थोड़ा लेते चलें
चलो, उनके लिए कुछ लेते चलें
और उनको दुआएँ देते चलें

आज उनसे मिलना है हमें
आज उनसे मिलना है हमें

नाचन लाग्यो रे बैरागी मन
अरे, भागन लाग्यो रे बैरागी बन

How I met Her....

 When I was upto 15 years old, I spent most of my time in our lane enjoying cricket. We also played games like kachhi gotya, chor‑police, and hide‑and‑seek. If any friend teased me or behaved like an enemy, I used to fight with him. At night, we also troubled those families who complained about our lane cricket. One day, one of my friends told our class teacher everything about my actions in the lane. I warned him firmly in front of all my friends.

And one day, I saw a girl who came into our lane. I noticed her and smiled at her without even knowing why. But she completely ignored me and didn’t even look at me. Still, I somehow felt that she understood everything, as if she sensed it with her sixth sense.

After many years passed and 2006 arrived, I had just completed my master’s degree. Before proceeding my career, I stayed in my hometown for about 1 to 1.5 months. At that time, I helped my uncle with his distribution business. I visited all the kirana shops and general stores in my hometown to market his products and improve his sales.

Finally, I reached Ram Nagar, where her home and their kirana shop were located. I saw a girl at the shop and started explaining the product details to her. She listened carefully to everything I said. Suddenly, she called her father and told him to look into the matter. For a moment, I froze and wondered what had happened. I felt confused, thinking if I had done something wrong.

Then April 2009 came, and her father visited my home saying that our horoscopes had matched 36 out of 36 gunn, and it was actually true. A date was fixed for the ‘kaande‑pohe’ function at her home, which was the first formal program for both of us. When I saw her there, I smiled. I had read somewhere that 80% of couples met or see each other at least once before marriage, and now I felt the same was happened with us. 

Now I asked her whether she had seen me before , and she said no.:) ;)

jag ghumiya thare jaisa na koi...

My Stock Market Investment Journey

 From Curiosity to Conviction

My stock market journey started in 2014 at Nagpur. reading books Since 2009, I have read almost 600 books. These books helped me understand money, business, and investing.

I am lucky to have full support from my wife and my parents. Because I am not buying any physical assets using bank loans, they always stood with me. I believe that when my daughter came into my home, it felt like Goddess Laxmi herself entered our house. My friends are also supportive, and we talk about the stock market for 1–2 hours every day.

Earlier, when my salary credited in account, I used to spend the whole amount in one month. So my first goal in investing was simple: just save some money while still enjoying life. Slowly, I learned that some stocks show their real nature only after time. The market also charges a “fee” in the form of losses, but other stocks give multiple returns. Only knowledge, courage, and patience help you hold them for long.

I follow the philosophies of Pat Dorsey, Basant Maheshwari, Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, and Peter Lynch. The best movies I have watched about business and finance are The Founder and The Big Short.

This is how my investment journey has grown—with reading i am able to do connecting the dots, support, discipline, and learning from the market every day, and finding meaning between the lines.

I always tell who asks me about investing that investors should stay away from Ponzi schemes, telephonic/tv stock tips, F&O trading, and daily trading stay away from fly by nights companies. It is better for to choose mutual funds and invest in a way that they can beat the inflation rate at least.

Here, money does not matter. What truly matters is learning, gaining knowledge, turning that knowledge into wisdom, and using it in life through the right channels. It is also important to build the confidence of family members, especially because no one talks about equity investment, and whatever little people know usually comes from Hindi movies where investing is shown as a loss-making or risky thing.

As a salaried employee, after deductions and monthly expenses, I still invest a small amount in equity every month for 10 years. It is difficult and it takes time to build capital for good returns, and I hope to continue this in the future. I believe that ‘Bhaav Bhagwaan chhe’ and Market is Supreme
— faith and good intentions always help.