Nanasaheb   Nimonkar

B.Uma Maheswara Rao

Shankarrao Raghunath Deshpande alias Nanasaheb Nimonkar was from Nimon which was a small village 20 miles from Shirdi. Balwantrao who was father of Shama, was Nimonkar’s uncle. Nanasaheb Nimonkar was Inamdar of Nimon. As he came from Nimon village, he was called Nanasaheb Nimonkar.

Nanasaheb Nimonkar was a special Magistrate of Sangamner and Village Chief of 5 villages in and around Nimon.  He also owned many acres of land in Nimon village and was very affluent and a very influential person. He was married to Jayaji who hailed from Belapur. He left everything in his ancestral village and went along with his wife to Shirdi and settled there permanently to do service to Baba. Nana used to address Baba as “Deva” and Baba used to address Nana as “Matare Kaka” . Nana served Baba till his Mahasamadhi with utmost love and devotion.

Nanasaheb Nimonkar first met Sai Baba at the Maruthi Temple at Rahata in 1890. Nana Saheb Nimonkar was the blessed devotee to whom Baba gave his Holy Padukas in the year 1898.

Once Balwantrao took Nimonkar to Baba saying, “People believe he is a mad fakir. I doubt if he is really mad, but you had better go with me, see him and give me your opinion.” Whenever Balwantrao had gone to see Baba the latter kept him at a distance by taking up a brickbat and either flinging it or threatening to fling it at him. Thus He kept him away from going into the mosque. But when Balwantrao and Nimonkar went to see him, Baba did not fling any stone and they went near Baba. Nimonkar was attracted to Baba as soon as he saw Baba and on his return to home he told his uncle with certainty that Baba was a divine saint and not a mad fakir. Balwantrao could not understand as to why stones were hurled when he went to Baba earlier but not on the present occasion. For this Nimonkar said, “That is because you doubted if Baba was mad, but I did not”. From that moment onwards, Nimonkar visited Baba several times.

Sri Ramanavami celebrations were permitted by Baba in the year 1911 in Shirdi. Every year, two new flags were ceremoniously carried in the procession and tied to the dome of the Dwarakamai by fixing permanently.Damodar Sevalram Rasane, a staunch devotee of Baba was supplying the green flag and Nimonkar was providing embroidered flag at the time of these celebrations. This tradition was continued by the descendants of Damodar Sevalram Rasane and those of Nimonkar for the supply of the respective flags. After Baba’s Mahasamadhi, these flags were kept on Baba’s Samadhi and Aarti was performed to them. After Lalkari Laghu Aarti was performed, then all the flags were taken in procession through the village with much dancing and merriment to Dwarakamai. Finally, the two flags were fixed on the top of the Dwarakamai, while the Ochere flag was fixed inside the Dwarakamai.

As Nanasaheb Nimonlar was a special Magistrate in Sangamner, he was frequently meeting Nanasaheb Chandorkar (Deputy Collector) who was also a devotee of Baba and both of them used to talk about Baba. When Nanasaheb Chandorkar started the idea of renovating the dilapidated masjid and collected subscriptions, Nimonkar also contributed some amount and in addition, he supervised the entire renovation work. Baba would not allow the workmen to do the work and thus the renovation work was being prevented by Baba. Baba however had great trust in Nimonkar who took it up when Baba slept at the chavadi and thus Nimonkar got the renovation work completed quickly.

He was always found to be with Baba either in the masjid or when Baba was moving within the Shirdri village. In the side picture, Baba was moving to Lendi garden during 1911-12 with Nimonkar standing on His right side.

Baba also showed his faith in Nimonkar by making him his banker during the years, 1916-18. As and when the funds were received, Baba used to hand them over to Nimonkar for safe custody. But Shama mistook that money given to Nimonkar as gifts. However, Nimonkar was affluent and was not in need of any monetary gifts. He kept Baba’s money safely and intact. Nimonkar was getting an annual income of about 500 rupees from his estate and his son, Somanath Shankar Deshpande was Inspector of police in Pune who was also sending him money. Nimonkar did not want temporal gifts from Baba. But he desired and got gifts from Baba, far superior to monetary gifts, in the shape of his spiritual advancement. Out of the money he kept on behalf of Baba, Nimonkar was paying for Baba’s expenses like buying Burfi sweet for distribution as presents to the people in the masjid and firewood for the dhuni and the like. Everyone in Shirdi called him “Kaka,” and also Baba.

Once Nanasaheb’s wife Jayaji wanted to go to Belapur as her son was seriously ill and stay there for some time. She made preparations to go there in consultation with Nimonkar. She consulted Baba for permission and Baba permitted her to go to Belapur. She informed Nana about the same. Nana agreed but asked her to return to Shirdi on the next day itself. Jayaji was not willing to return on the next day as the next day happened to be Amavasya Day and travelling on Amavasya Day was considered as inauspicious. Hence, she was in a dilemma. However, she wanted to take leave from Baba and went to Baba when he was standing near Sathewada on his way to Lendibagh. Nimonkar and others were also present near Baba. At that time, Jayaji came and prostrated to Baba and asked permission to leave. Baba immediately told Jayaji to visit and stay in Belapur for 4 days and come back to Shirdi after meeting everyone there. Baba’s words solved the dilemma in her mind and Nimonkar who was standing there also understood Baba’s views. Thus both of them were satisfied with Baba’s direction.

When Shama was bitten by a snake on his small finger, that part became poisonous. Somebody suggested that he should go to Shiva temple. At that moment, Nimonkar who was present there, said that he should first take Udi from Baba and then go. Then Shama ran to the masjid and Baba immediately saved him from the jaws of death just by simple words of command, instructing the poison to get down.

In the Chavadi Procession that used to take place between the masjid and chavadi, Nimonkar held over Baba’s head, the white Umbrella which moved in a circle on its supporting stick with its pendants and tassels. While going in the procession, Baba would stop opposite to Maruthi Temple and wave his arms mystically, some fifteen or twenty times and would mutter some words, addressed to Maruthi. Baba was also doing similar things whenever he sat before the dhuni early morning every day. It was interpreted that Baba by doing these hand movements and muttering some words, was having communion with the Gods.

Nimonkar’s daughter-in-law was in the family way and in 1916, her delivery was expected and Nimonkar and his wife started for Poona and visited Shirdi which was on the way. After Baba’s darshan, they wanted leave to go to Poona, but Baba refused permission. Baba also told Nimonkar.that he should stay by Baba’s side, bury him and then leave Shirdi. Asked about the delivery, Baba replied, “Why are you anxious? God will help”. Then Nimonkars stayed in Shirdi. And at Poona, no body was there to help his daughter-in-law and when she got pains, she was taken to a hospital and there within an hour, she delivered a male child without the assistance of a doctor or nurse and the child was in good health. At that time in Shirdi in the masjid, Baba told Nimonkar that there was a woman who was taken to the hospital where she delivered a male child safely and Nimonkar understood that this matter referred to them.

Once Somnath Shankar Deshpande, CID Inspector at Poona and son of Nimonkar, started to go to his ancestral home in Nimon in 1917 where his brother’s wife had recently delivered a child and on the way, he visited Shirdi and had darshan of Baba. When he took leave from Baba, Baba gave him udhi and asked him to save the child. But. Somnath took this advice of Baba as referring to his own boy travelling with him and gave him the udhi and left for Nimon. When he reached Nimon, his brother’s new born child was in very bad health and the child’s survival was doubtful. Then he remembered Baba’s words at his parting time and felt that the matter referred to this child only and he immediately looked for the udhi. But it was not available. Then he took the child on his own lap and prayed to Baba with lot of faith and devotion. Miraculously in a short while, the child picked up health and became normal. How kind was Baba to protect devotees and their children. The child was named Padmakar and when the child was taken to Shirdi after few months, Baba took the child in his lap and said, “Here is my Dutta” and hence Padmakar’s name was changed as Dutta.

Nimonkar and Shama used to serve food daily to the devotees in the masjid. After all the food brought by devotees were mixed and offered to God and consecrated, Baba used to fill the platters and give them to Nimonkar and Shama for distribution to the devotees present in the masjid. Everyday these two had the fortune of serving the food with their hands in the masjid.  The two considered the distribution of the naivedya as their regular religious duty and performed the task with great love and devotion.

In “Shri Sai Sahasranamavali” & “Ashtotharam” composed by B.V..Narasimhaswamiji, special mention was made in verse 521 about the Granting of Holy Padukas by Baba to Nana Saheb Nimonkar and its meaning reads as “One who has bestowed spiritual bliss to Nimonkar by granting Padukas”.

From 1890 onwards much before other important devotees started visiting or staying in Shirdi, Nanasaheb Nimonkar, though affluent and also a Special Magistrate, an Inamdar of Nimon, the Village Chief of five villages and also owned several acres of land in Nimon village, discarded all the assets and ignored all the positions and came with his wife and settled in Shirdi much before others, in the service of Baba till Baba’s Mahasamadhi. He was also with Baba when Baba gave up his mortal coil. Such was his greatness and devotion, he had displayed towards.
Nimonkar passed away in January 1919.