Unlike most professionals and academics who dread the prospect of retirement, Prof PK Ghanekar, who retired last year as head of the botany department at Pune’s Abasaheb Garware College (estb. 1945), is delighted. Now he is busy doing what he loves most — travelling and writing (in that order) — while continuing to teach part-time because as he puts it, “once a teacher, always a teacher”.

Indeed, a month before he was scheduled to deliver his final lecture, the learned professor had already drawn up detailed travel plans, on the basis of which he immediately set off for Sikkim to explore this north-eastern state’s geography, the Red Panda, rhododendrons and lichens, and other flora and fauna. Such excursions provide the grist for the 54 travelogues and non-fiction books that he has written in Marathi — with some of them set to be translated into English.

Spurred by travel and curiosity, Ghanekar is making the most of his time by writing prolifically. Four of his most recent works have been published in the past six months. The first, titled Dolas Bhatkanti (Observations & Excursions) is a compilation of 150 unusual natural phenomena that Ghanekar has personally witnessed and their scientific explanation. “The formation of a circular rainbow; the remains of the Yeti or abominable snowman in a hamlet in the foothills of Mt. Everest which were destroyed in a fire in 1982; a site 53 km beyond Leh in Ladakh where a vehicle parked on a slope moves forward instead of backwards, and the discovery of volcanic ash in a village near Narayangaon, Maharashtra, which is from an eruption in Indonesia. These and other phenomena are given scientific explanations in 2Dolas Bhatkanti,” says the knowledgeable professor.

The second book Smaran Yatra (A Journey of Memories) lists and describes 52 samadhis (tombs) of all the Peshwa rulers and warriors who were a major fighting force in India in the 16th and 17th centuries, while the third — Chitraroop Raigad (Raigad in Pictures) — is a pictorial representation of this district’s ancient forts and temples.

Ladakh, his fourth book, is a travelogue detailing his experiences in the high-altitude mountainous district of Jammu and Kashmir. “I am a compulsive traveller. Every free weekend offers an opportunity for exploration and research. All I require is a notepad and camera,” he says.

The urge to explore and spirit of enquiry have taken Ghanekar deep into the Himalayas, up to Mt. Everest, and to the forts and fortresses of the Sahyadri Hills of the Western Ghats, with each excursion planned to the last detail. “I never visit places merely to absorb their scenic beauty, but also to study their history, geography, botany and anthropology. That’s the motivation behind my travels,” he says.

Currently, the scholar professor is researching for a series of 25 books on the historical forts of Maharashtra. Far from being an era of rest and recreation, for this indefatigable author, retirement has flowered into a new period of exploration, creativity and productivity.

Huned Contractor (Pune)