subhash nigam
washington/new delhi : During the campaigning of election Joe Biden had said that his relatives of Indian origin stay in Mumbai. Nobody paid attention to him. Now these details have emerged. Time will tell us whether they are true or not.
In seventeenth century,in a village called Mouje Rajapur in Konkan region of Maharashtra, a Brahmin called Vinayakrao Bhide used to stay with his wife Vatsalaabai and three children. He was an astrologer and even owned a small piece of land. His income was meager and he always had difficulty in making 2 ends meet. One day he got fed up and told his wife that he may get good income if they shift to Surat in Gujarat.
His family shifted to Surat and settled there. His income improved and he became known to many as an astrologer. His youngest son Ramchandra was very smart looking fair boy and had brown eyes. The British officer of Surat Mr Rutherford and his wife Margaret saw Ramchandra and liked him because they did not have a child. They requested Vinayakrao for adaptation of their son. After a long thought the Bhide family agreed but put one condition for adaptation. They told Rutherford to add Bhide in the surname of their son. Rutherford agreed and Ramchandra became Ramchandra Rutherford Bhide.
Rutherford family shifted to England with Ramchandra and settled there. Later on Ramchandra had his own family and he dropped Rutherford from his surname. His children became Biday later on. Their children then went to US and became Biden. Mr Joe Biden is from this family.
I am from Bhide family and my great grandfathers mother in law is sister of Vinayakrao Bhide. On Mahashivratri day every year we break a coconut for Biden family and on every Parashuram Jayanti they send their contribution of Rs 51 as per tradition.
We are also eagerly awaiting for Joe Biden to visit Rajapur at our family’s ancient house.
-from Sh. Uday Joshi