Turning 90 with Grace: Celebrating Yashwant Deshpande Kaka

आपल्या St. Louis Marathi परिवारातील आदरणीय यशवंत देशपांडे काकांनी नुकताच नव्वदीचा टप्पा गाठला. वाढदिवसाच्या हार्दिक शुभेच्छा, काका! 🎉

This photograph says more than a long speech ever could. It was taken at Kaka’s 90th birthday celebration, surrounded by some of the seniormost members of our community. Not everyone could be present, but the spirit of the whole मंडळ is right there in those smiles.

The Gang 😁 of 1960-70-80's of STL (I say it proudly - You all look awesome!)

In the photo (left to right): Kala Phatak, Raja kaka Phatak, Shirish Rajadhyaksha, Seema Rajadhyaksha, Yashwant Deshpande kaka, Vidya Deshpande, Usha Sathe, Nirmala Deshmukh, Vrunda Paranjape, Gadakari kaka, Keshav Joshi, Anjali Apte and Dr. Sunil Apte

Our seniors are the living archive of who we are: stories of migration, friendships forged over decades, festivals hosted in borrowed halls, and countless rides shared so that one more person could attend a कार्यक्रम. They are our Pillars: steady, humble, and always first to encourage the next generation.

Our elders are our roots. आणि त्यांच्या आठवणीतच आपली ओळख.

To Deshpande Kaka with Love: Thank you for the gentle “how are you?” that always lingers a moment longer, for showing us that health is a practice, and that community is built tea-cup by tea-cup, conversation by conversation.

God bless you with health, laughter, and light. Many happy returns, Kaka! काका, पुढची अनेक वर्षे अशीच आनंदात, निरोगीपणात जावोत.

Your turn, STL Marathi family!

If you have a message or a favorite memory with Kaka, please share it in the comments so we can pass it along. And if we’ve missed or misspelled a name in the left-to-right list, send us a quick note, we’ll fix it promptly.

Photo shared with permission. धन्यवाद!

Team STLMM