PuLa’s life was a one full of happiness. Though there were many other shades to it, the only one that always prevailed was that of content, satisfaction and bliss. He has spread happiness through his every act. He was a writer, a singer and a joker as well. Each role was played by him to perfection. A master mind, that is what one would want to call him. He presented literature in various forms; stories, travalogues, biographies, dramas, one-act plays and scripts as well. His anecdotes helped all to laugh and enjoy, right from the old people to the youngest generation. Mrs. and Mr. Bhurke together had compiled a program which consisted of many of this great writer’s literature, the song that he composed or directed, etc. Later, people would come forward and share their memories about PuLa. These memories were soon penned down by the couple. Soon, they were able to know more about PuLa from cine director Ram Gabale and Pandit Bhimsen Joshi. Shyam Bhurke has a style with words and prefers writing lined with humour rather than making it serious. A reader can enjoy any page from the book. There is hardly any need to follow the sequence. Throughout his life, PuLa earned a lot in terms of name, fame and wealth. But he did not keep anything for himself. He donated everything to a noble cause. He founded a trust and helped to help many. He spent every single rupee for the betterment of others. The great poet Mangesh Padgaonkar once had written that; ‘As PuLa touches one, all the sorrows run away, A new note starts playing the song, anxiety simply goes away, A smile of million dollars is seen on sad faces; grief and burden melts away… Even when PuLa was quite ill, his humour did not abandon him. He would lightly comment by saying, ‘until now I have received many Academy Awards, now is the time for Anatomy Awards.’ His knees would cause him severe pain in rainy season, especially in the cloudy weather. He would then switch of the radio if any song had the word cloud in it. He had also stopped reading the famous Sanskrit epic Meghdoot as the mere mention of clouds in it would cause him severe knee pain. He had lost his hearing ability and would say ‘my ears do not listen to what I say.’ Accepting the hypertension-high BP he would jokingly say-‘my blood is being pumped at a faster pace in a wrong age.’ Shyam Bhurke has presented many such small stories related to the great famous personality PuLa. Readers are sure to enjoy it.
