KOLHAPUR, Dec 25: Throughout his life spanning over seven-and-a-half decades, he waged two battles. The first was to oust British imperialists that ended in 1947 and the second with the state government which he is very much fighting to get his pension as a freedom fighter.Now at the ripe age, Mahadeo Hari Patil has become a talk of village of sorts, as the old man on the banks of Kansa river in Kolhapur's hilly Shahuwadi taluka has got a samadhi memorial built for himself, albeit he is still alive.Unnoticeable on the map, Thavade is yet to come on the State Transport network while the Telecom Department is yet to assess whether a public telephone booth could be installed here or not. Yet, the caged memorial tucked with two busts, one of Patil's own and his wife, has a plaque on it which reads: This is a memorial of Mahadeo Hari Patil, a freedom fighter, who is still alive. Stunning it may sound, but still stunning are the tales of the freedom struggle which he recounts and the tales of his struggle to secure freedom fighter's pension and a citation from the State Government.Unable to walk, Patil was sitting outside the village school when this reporter met him. Some one helped him to get up so that he could limp to his house balancing on his crutches.His small broken structure plunged into a darkness, which resembled Mahadeo Patil's personality. Entering into a dingy room, Patil returned with a file of his long drawn correspondence with the State Government, letters and recommendations dating back to early seventies.To Patil's credit are the letters from veteran freedom fighters including Krantiveer Nagnath Nayakwadi, speaking about his underground activities during the freedom struggle.Recounting the days, Patil spoke about his date with those historic moments. He reconstructed the incident of an exchange of fire between underground activists and police at Mandoor village in which Kisan Ahir fell a martyr in a fantastic narrative. ``It was here (in Thavade) that the entire team of underground activists were provided with food and shelter after the firing took place. We had to disengage as Kisanrao Ahir fell to the bullets. Being from Thavade, arranging for food was my responsibility,'' he said.``Looting post offices, effecting a breakdown in communication, was part of my job in those days. Malkapur was housing a police station and I was told to be in touch with the police, so that we could know about their movements. Being adjudged as the best runner, keeping a watch on police movement was my job. I could reach Malkapur (more than 20 kms away from the village by road) in two hours, crossing the hills and taking short cuts. I had befriended a Sub Inspector, who used to keep me posted about police movements,''he told this newspaper. I was privileged to work with the likes of Dada Appaji Barde Guruji, Dattu Lohar and others,'' he added.His finds mention in the Swantantrya Sainik Charitrakosh, a Maharashtra government publication published in 1980. Says the Charitrakosh: Patil was an underground activists during and post Quit India Movement who took part in looting of post offices and various other activities.Unfortunately this proof was not enough, neither were the recommendations of his colleagues who later grew to be stalwarts. Patil's claim to pensions was turned down by the state government in 1991.Since the death of his wife Patil is living a lone life. His yearlong illness cost him normal functioning of his legs, as he can not move without crutches. He has almost given up on the hopes to secure pensions and hence embarked upon the memorial to himself in defiance of the rulers. Says despaired Patil: They may not recognise my work, but they can not erase it. It is there in their own Charitrakosh and Swantantrya Sainik Smaranika published in 1966. Last year I decided to construct a memorial to myself, and it now stands there. It is caged because I am still alive. I told the villagers to remove the cage and inaugurate it after I die.His voice was filled with a blend of cold aloofness. Getting up with the help of his crutches Patil disappears into the same dingy room, from where he took out the file of correspondence.Besides the memorial which Patil has built during his own lifetime, the file perhaps would be the last of his belongings which keep his memories alive at least for his remote western Kolhapur village.
