Farewell, Mr.Patankar - our mentor, cheerleader and well wisher forever

 

The Whatsapp message on May 30 from a former Colleague brought the news of the passing away of Mr.Giridhar Patankar, the mentor and well wisher of scores of Colleagues, Vendors and Partners of the erstwhile Siemens Public Communication Networks Limited (later Noka Siemens Networks & eventually Nokia).  And to note that he passed away doing what he is known for, being physically active, on a treadmill at a ripe age of 83, in an manner of speaking, only befits his personality of never clam up and staying idle. 

Mr.Patankar was your best supporter and well wisher at work or outside of it. He rarely raised his voice and his soft spoken and particularly calm behaviour with a smile that could disarm the angriest vendor or Colleague in a moment. I have probably shared the most of my business & personal life titbits with him during my work stint with Siemens. He was all ears, provding encouragement and never forced his opinion on me. He seemed to have endless patience and would do his best to pacify, coach or provide suggestions. He has mentored and Coached so many of us, without explicitly carrying that label. His actions were clear enough to follow.  His dedication to work & welfare, despite having crossed the official age of retirement, was noteworthy.

I recall his vital contributions in helping setting up the Indian arm of Siemens in the early 90s when Babudom was at its peak and precedence was hard to come by. His deft handling of regulatory authorities were outstanding and noteworthy. Ensuring that we get to work in the heart of the City was envy to others. The then prevailing Employee friendly policies of SPCNL had the signature of Mr.Patankar in the implementation.

 He was ever so supportive of many an Employee initiative, particularly the Annual & other topical Company events. He gave us blanket support to put out cultural and artistic events showcasing capabilities of fellow Colleagues, ensured the right hospitality arrangements and did not hesitate to motivate his Admin team to pull out all stops. He was always there for his immediate team and it never stopped when business hours ended. He would be one of the first to arrive to oversee the arrangements and perhaps one of the last to leave as well.

He wasn't a fan of flashy quick fixes and believed in time tested methods that were long lasting. He was the backbone of many an infrastructure decision including some tough ones when we had to let go of many a team member and some facilitiies as well. Where some office policies stopped in recognising the hard yards put in by the Admin & IT teams, he would walk up and whisper to me to go ahead and organize a recognition and that he would pay for it.

We used to know that it is the Mango season when he would bring in tons of the juciest mangoes from his farm at the onset of the season. These were much sought after !

His interest and active participation in sporting events were unparalleled. He was an avid sports buff ever interested in all levels of Cricket, Golf, Tennis, Hockey, Badminton and you can add virtually all Olympic sports to the list. He had deep connections with National & domestic Cricket stars from Karnataka. I still remember the inter corporate Tournament that we conducted on our 10th Anniversary. He made sure that we have chosen the right grounds, made adequate food & drink arrangements for the teams and the coup was that he got us the Turf ground at Chinnaswamy Grounds for the final !  For several years, he kept wondering if a particular team member of ours could have stopped a boundary during the crucial final overs of our semifinal and that we could have played the Final ! I still remember the first cricket practice session that he helped organize sometime in 1996 and ensured that everyone was served Lunch in the office canteen after the session. I can count many such instances of either getting goodies for the entire team as part of some employee initiative or facilitating People policies or something similar. An avid golfer who took the sport seriously and would be participating in many a corporate tournament frequently. He whole heartedly supported a then unusual decision of streaming World Cup Cricket matches on LAN and helped in convincing the Management team in supporting this !

He would take personal interest in the various commemoration/ gatherings like Ayudha Puja / Christmas / Diwali / New Year and would ensure maximum participation across cultural boundaries & interests.

He hailed from an illustrious Family that was linked with the Dewans of Mysore. Madhavnagar (near Kumara Park) in Bangalore is named after his grand father, if my memory serves me right. But, he was down to earth with simplicity being his trademark !

I know that the loss of his wife, a few years ago affected him deeply. He spoke glowingly about his son, Krishna and spent many a stint with him over the years @ US. 

Dear Mr.Patankar, I deeply regret not having met you in recent times but cherish our recent phone conversations and the whatsapp forwards about some sport snippet or the other, besides the countless conversations we had, when we were working together. I have archived your chat for posteriety and am forever grateful for the influence you have had on me leave alone scores of well wishers and Colleagues. 

Your zest for life in general is worth emulating  ! Your life has to be celebrated ! 

Farewell and Thank you for being such an influence in our lives !