Sri M.M.Thakkar passes away,1 March 2016 : A TRIBUTE
We condoled
the death of beloved Sri MMThakkar,President, Rajkot RIEA.He was a good leader
,a devoted worker for promoting the cause of retirees & pensioners.He
donned this role for years & decades.Right from 1996,he had a stellar
innings as Captain & Commander of Rajkot RIEA which he served to the last ,
with aplomb & distinction. He was an EC member of AIRIEF in its earlier
years for quite sometime,participated in All India EC/GC meetings, making
presentation with clarity & distinction.He was at ease with English &
Hindi too,of course Gujarathi,his mother tongue a master. I already flashed the
sad news to all on internet,moment I received from hard-working ,very able
& senior Activist Sri BPBuch.
I spoke to
Sri BPBuch,GS,RIEA 2 days before, got
the correct Tel no of Mumbai residence, where MMT breathed his last.BPB spoke
with tears & in a depressed & sad tone,told me MMT was a Friend,
Philosopher & Guide not only on pension & related matters but
holistically on almost all problems & grievances, he used to tender advice
& guidance to fraternity of pensioners & other colleagues with a
brotherly smile.That will be no more & so a profound loss, BPB confessed.
Today I got
Mumbai connection.022-2530 7634 to talk to MMT wife Smt Nirmalaben.I had a
solid ,friendly, sociable innings in Rajkot, for 4 years, my 2nd
posting after Pune.Step by step,year after year, it was enrichment of life
,learning to living a fruitful existence,not like a vegetable but purposeful
& meaningful. That I got in plenty & so relationship in Rajkot with LIC
world of employees, field force & Officers & customers was close &
intimate as also hobbies & pastime,as I loved playing Table Tennis,my 2nd
love & where too I emerged a decent Champion.Coached at Club of Maharashtra
by none else than the then India ladies Champion Meena Parande, 530-7am
,gruelling allround niceties of the fastest indoor game& enjoying her tips,
TTBat holding position, our own posture & distance from Table,& above
all ,a master in a complete professional,terrific in both Defence &
Offence, teaching with discipline &
dedication at Pune made me realize I should get along.So Rajkot beckoned me for
practice & tournaments & I represented Rajkot, alongwith other
Stalwarts of TT ,like Pune & later Chennai too, in my own humble way &
TTFriends & players, after office work were so near & dear to
me,whatever my position & cadre.
I was also
an activist from good old days in Fedn of LIC Class I Officers Assns,Pune,
Rajkot as Treasurer ,then Joint Sy later WZ Grievance Committee Member,&
still later EC Member of Class I Fedn. Lots & lots of Notes.Suggestions, we
youngsters then, prepared beautiful Compendiums & forwarded to All India
Fedn of Class I & earned their goodwill & appreciation. So, MMT &
other Officers meet for EC etc used to be with an Agenda & Objective.Rajkot
set that trend in those halcyon days itself to help, assist & serve as an
agent for change & betterment of employees & no wonder RAJKOT TODAY must proclaim Guinees Book of World Records as the ONLY RIEA
DIVISION to have 100 % membership, an impossible task.It redounds to the credit
of MMT & his close companions in EC,like Sri BPBuch , who pursued with vim
& vigour & did many wonders methodically year after year without laxity
or decline.They set an outstanding example of camaraderie,rarely to be seen in
full bloom anywhere
BPB was
narrating with gusto that MMT,he & others like padayatra,visited Branch
after branch, place after place & enrolled Members ,who gladly
reciprocrated with implicit & explicit obedience to their calls .That is
unforgettable, a trait with MMT who cultivated this as a regular habit &
pastime for sacrifice on his part but innate satisfaction to others,
His son Sri
Jaladhi Thakkar was in conversation with me tonight.It seems while all was
seemingly going well, by 18th February 2016,MMT developed some
health problems,continuous diarrohea, dehydration, which was also set right by
Hospital but later developed congestion in lungs & breathlessness.This
respiratory problem was aggravating in spite of best efforts in ICU &
ward.Doctors could excavate some fluid from lungs but could not succeed
fully.On my query, his son told me ,only for BP, some tablets he was consuming
,otherwise ok but this was sudden development,seemed to improve but ultimately
deteriorated & the end came on 1 March 2016.He was aged 80 years,Smt
Nirmalaben was also an employee of LIC Rajkot.His children are all wellplaced.
Sri BPBuch
told me they prepared a good Circular re final SC hearing, activities ,donation
for legal fund etc to be signed by him & regretted that did not
materialize.So he has modified the appeal invoking endearing Leader &
Captain of Rajkot pensioners MMT &
under the New President signature.that letter will be sent to all pensioners.All
area awaiting, with bated breath todays Final developments in SC Bench &
Victory to all pensioners
I requested
Sri Jaladhi Thakkar to convey my kind enquiries & sympathies to Smt Nirmalaben
& prayed to the Almighty to shower strength to bear this irreparable loss.I
added, many condolence messages have come right from that day of intimation
& that itself is a testimony all over indicating the high regard &
esteem in which they place MMT
May his soul rest in peace.
Mournfully,
RBKISHORE 9/3/2016
VP,AIRIEF
