PUNE A 100-year-old passport belonging to Bhaskar Gangadhar Kelkar, which was issued by the British Government on August 8, 1921, has been restored by the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute(BORI) in Pune.
Dr Shrikant Kelkar, a city-based eye surgeon, looking to keep his father’s old legacy intact approached BORI to preserve and restore the passport.
Shrikant, said, “Though there is a tragic story behind this passport, it is of great value to the family. The passport was issued by the British Government on August 8, 1921, to my father Bhaskar Gangadhar Kelkar, who was an MBBS, and was planning to go to London for further studies.”
“My father lived in Bijapur and also worked as a general practitioner in medicine when he decided to study ophthalmology and came to Pune to study. To meet family demands, he opened up a clinic too and wanted to study for a diploma in the UK hence went to Bombay to get his passport on August 21, 1921. After which, while preparing to leave for London, on a rainy day he met with an accident while coming back from his clinic and had a compound fracture which left his one hand twisted, putting an end to his dreams.”
Bhupal Patwardhan, chairman of BORI, said, “We set up a special laboratory to deal with the institute’s old manuscripts and books. The institute owns 28,000 manuscripts and 1.5 lakh books, which we need to conserve. We are also working with Bharat Ithihas Sanshodhan to help preserve their old books and scripts. Thus, when I heard about Kelkar, we offered to help.”
{{/usCountry}}Bhupal Patwardhan, chairman of BORI, said, “We set up a special laboratory to deal with the institute’s old manuscripts and books. The institute owns 28,000 manuscripts and 1.5 lakh books, which we need to conserve. We are also working with Bharat Ithihas Sanshodhan to help preserve their old books and scripts. Thus, when I heard about Kelkar, we offered to help.”
{{/usCountry}}BORI used a thorough process of cleaning and then removing spots and tears using chemicals to preserve the life of the paper to increase by 60 years.
“The condition of the passport was not very good. It had a lot of tears, and spots and the paper was brittle. We have enhanced its life to last more than 60 years,” said Patwardhan.
“I became an eye surgeon to carry my father’s legacy and this passport which was the first in the family has been a source of inspiration,” added Shrikant who has kept the passport in his personal collection, just as his uncle Dinkar Gangadhar Kelkar, founder of Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum.