True Rose LoverBio Data

Prof Suhas Ghaisas

Prof Suhas Ghaisas completed his schooling from Modern High School, his graduation from Modern College, Pune 5, and post graduation in Physics from Pune University. He spent his early child hood at Dapodi, Manor House {Governor’s Bungalow}, which then housed the Police Wireless Training centre. His father was officer in charge of the training centre. The Manor house had a huge garden and the gardening hobby probably had its roots from there. He was introduced to roses by his neighbor Dr.P.K.Gupta a horticulturists who later retired as the Dy.Dir.of Horticulture M.S.. Dr.Gupta had a few roses in pots and later taught him the technique of budding of roses. Education and other interests took precedence but when he joined Modern College his uncle and Head of Physics Dept.Prof.M.R.Marathe took him to Prof .Y.V.Natu’s home nursery and both purchased a few rose plants and that started it all again. He joined the then Poona Rose Society in 1984 and in 1986 he became the life member of the Society. In the Silver Jubilee celebrations of the society in 1987 he became Member of the Reception committee and volunteered in many events and attended all functions.

In the elections held in Aug/Sep. 1988 a new team of members were elected unopposed. Mr.Ramrao Jagtap became the president with Prof Ghaisas as a member of the managing committee. In 1990 elections a new President Mr.Suresh Pingale took over, who requested Prof Ghaisas to work as Hon. Secretary of the society and in three years time saw him elected as Vice president and another three years saw him as probably the youngest president of the society. For these nine years he efficiently managed almost single handedly the editing of the news letter Gulab Mitra .In 1999 the rose society under his stewardship started its own web site www.punerose .com and became the first rose society in India to have a web site.

He has written hundreds of articles on different aspects of rose growing which have been published in Gulab Mitra, Rose News, IRFanuuals,News- papers, rose societies’ souvenirs, INA News, and The annual published by the New Zealand Rose Society.

He is a member of the American Rose Society, Area Representative of the Royal National Rose Society, U.K., and Honorary Member of the Central Otago Rose Society, New Zealand, and life member of the Indian Rose Federation.

Prof Ghaisas has worked on almost all posts (except as a treasurer) on various committees, but has never been shy to work as an ordinary worker a true volunteer even when he held top positions.

What started with Sophia Loren, American Heritage and Super Star, grew to over seventy five rose collection in pots declined to zero when he met with a serious motorcycle accident. He has a collection of about sixty plus roses in his garden today. He has participated in rose shows and has won prizes for his cut flowers, Ganpati idol with rose petals and in rose photography section at Calcutta rose convention where he won the champions trophy in rose photography section while winning two gold and two silver medals. He has provided rose photographs for cover pages of Rose News, Gulab Mitra, many Souvenirs and also for the Audio Visual program ‘Birth of a New Rose’ produced jointly by him with Sharad Gatne, Nadir Pavri, Prakash Sathe.

He has attended many rose shows, IRF rose conventions and World Rose Convention at Christ Church, New Zealand.

He was presented the prestigious Hon.Vijay Pokarna Gold Medal of Honour by the Rose Society of Pune on August 27, 2005 at he hands of Hon.Dr.Patangrao Kadam,Minister for Rehabilitation,Cooperation and Aid, M.S.,and founder Chancellor ,Bharti Vidyapeeth.

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President’s Note

Rain and more rain. This seems to be the weather pattern this year. We are in the middle of September and the rain continues to lash the city every day.We were really worried at one stage, whether we shall get any blooms at all for our scheduled Monsoon rose show.Just for a week before the rose show there happened to be a tiny window letting the bright sun through. And that was it seems just sufficient to make it possible for us to put on display a fantastic monsoon show.

The quality of the blooms was indeed very good and there were in fact many new varieties of roses in the show for the first time in many years.

We were indeed fortunate to have three V.I.P. invitees for the inauguration of the show ,in Hon. Shri Balasaheb Shivarkar a former minister and MLA,Hon. Dr.Deepak Tilak, Vice Chancellor Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth and Hon. Dr. Patangrao Kadam, Minister and Chancellor, Bharti Vidyapeeth, who later presented our former president, Prof Suhas Ghaisas with the Hon.Shri Vijay Pokarna Gold Medal of Honour in a glittering but emotional ceremony.

Hearty Congratulations to Prof Suhas Ghaisas who richly deserves this prestigious award.

It is now time to say fare well as I complete my term of office and hand over reins to the new president. It was indeed a great honour and privilege for me to be president of this great organization.