"Swami teenhi jagancha pan Aayee vina bhikari"' (You may be the greatest of this universe but you are only a beggar without a mother). These sentiments are echoed in Acharya Atre's Shyamchi Aai, the landmark film based on Sane Guruji's book, a fictionalized account of his childhood years. The film is marked by exemplary characters led by Shyam's mother (Vanamala), a deeply religious person with an earthy philosophy and a positive attitude to life's problems. There is a moving sentimental depiction of her relationship with her son (Madhav Vaze). This milestone movie went to win the first President's Gold Medal for the Best Feature Film in 1953.
