Journalism of Courage
Chitale Foundation that has around 8000 members sharing the common surname is a way to come together as one big family
When Vijaya Chitale was felicitated recently in the city by Chitale foundation,for the 83-year-old freedom fighter,it was a chance to meet her relatives who are otherwise scattered in the city. It was the occasion of Vasantotsav,one of the many activities that are open for the 8000 Chitales registered with the foundation not just in the city but across the globe. Reviving relations and coming together through celebrations,meetings and various other events,the foundation is one big family for Chitales across the globe.
Many of our people have succeeded in various fields but remain unknown to us. Coming together helps recognise them besides building a network as well as reaching out to the society through the foundation. Annual as well as life membership is granted and the foundation has a database of all its members. Some surnames like the Joshis who were originally Chitales are also a part of the organisation, adds Yashwant Chitale,editor of their quarterly magazine Anubandh.
Chitale families are the Chitpawan Brahmins who are known to have migrated from Shri Kshetra Parashuram,a small village near Chiplun. Although the foundation claims that every Chitale is invariably a member,it plans to further update the record by contacting the families. Activities in the pipeline range from educational guidance to health check up camps at each place.
Sridhar Chitale who is nominated as the president narrates how the community has helped trace the roots. My grandmother would tell me that our family moved from Wai. Incidentally at a recent event I came across a relative who,during the conversation told me that his roots were also in Wai and that our small temple is still there although the ancestral house is no more. We as an organisation also want to contribute towards the society. For instance,we were able to help the residents during the Chiplun floods. Since I have an educational background,my efforts have been to spread basic educational training in the villages through the organisation, adds Sridhar Chitale who has retired as the principal of Fergusson College.
We organise an event once in three years. The first one was organised at Chiplun few years back and was a huge success. We also keep in touch with each other through a tri-monthly magazine called Anubandhan. Every member gets a copy of this, says Haribhau Chitale.
