By Sudhir and Maggie Joshi

Everyone Deserves to Have a Friend Like the One I Had!

I met Padmakar when we were 2nd year of our college. We lived very nearby. I called him by his surname, Panat, while he called me Joshibuwa. We started studying Physics and Mathematics together in the evenings, mostly at his house. He was really good at it, certainly compared to me but we both started enjoying those two subjects immensely. We remained best friends ever since. Our lives were shaped by our homes in Jalgoan, Maharashtra, and by the social and political times we lived in. We wanted to know and debate about everything around us. We argued about issues even though we shared orientation and perspectives. Since I settled in Canada, I could see the Panats infrequently, but when we met we carried on where we had left off. He and Vijaya Vahini have been good friends with me and my wife Maggie. It is cruel for him to be taken away from us. We will greatly miss him. It has been a privilege to have had such a friend. (Sudhir Joshi)

I would like to express my deep appreciation to Panat and Vijaya for the wonderful support and kindness they always showed to me during my trips to India. (Maggie Joshi)

Mr. Sudhir and Maggie Joshi have been Prof. P. V. Panat and Mrs. Panat's friends since a long time.
Mr. Joshi retired from IBM, Toronto, Canada and is settled there.

February 19, 2009