Biographie de Vassant Shirvaikar
Dr V. V. Shirvaikar, born in Goa in 1933, had his primary and secondary education in Goa. He then studied at the Wilson College in Bombay and did his Master's degree in Nuclear Physics. He later joined the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Bombay where he was a research scientist, specialising in the Environmental Sciences, especially subjects related to safety from radioactive gaseous pollutants released from Nuclear plants, until his retirement in 1991.
He did his Doctorate from University of Mumbai in 1972 while working at the Research Centre. He has authored several research papers in scientific journals, written several technical reports and guided research in his subject of specialisation. He was also connected with International Atomic Energy Agency, Maharashtra Pollution Control Board, Bureau of Indian Standards and National Environmental Engineering Research Institute at Nagpur.
He developed high respect and an attraction towards Shri Shankar Maharaj when he happened to read the Marathi translation of Towards the Silver Crests of Himalayas and saw the photograph of Maharaj with his childlike face and remarkably big eyes. This attraction was fanned by Mr N. G. Date, a spiritualist from Malad (Bombay) who has been a catalyst to many in their spiritual path and with whom he came in contact by chance.
Circumstances led to his being taken in his fold by Maharaj through another disciple in 1985, some 38 years after Maharaj took Samadhi. Though Dr. Shirvaikar did initially keep in contact with the scientific work related to environment he now keeps himself busy with spiritual topics. He wrote several articles on spiritual topics for the quarterly periodical Sai-Arpan including a ten part series on Datta-Parampara and another ten part series on Teachings of Dnyaneshwari.
Dr Shirvaikar lives with his wife in Pune where he settled immediately after retirement from service. His two sons live in the USA.