Pune: Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe recently recalled a funny incident from his days of preparing for the UPSC Civil Services examination, when a friend broke down after reading that Bollywood actor Madhuri Dixit had got married.
Mundhe shared the anecdote during an open interview titled ‘Unstoppable Tukaram’, held at Balgandharva Rangmandir in Pune on Saturday. Renowned writer Arvind Jagtap conducted the interview.
Watch Video:
During the interaction, Mundhe spoke about his childhood, school days, competitive examination preparation and his journey in public service. He also shared several personal experiences from his early years.
Recalling an incident from around 1998-99, Mundhe said he was preparing for the UPSC Mains examination and living as what he jokingly described as a ‘parasite’ or free-loader.
He said he and his friend Pankaj, who is now a Customs Commissioner, used to study together late into the night.
‘He Cried When She Got Married’
“We both used to study late into the night. He would sleep an hour or two later than me. I used to sleep around two or three in the morning, while he would sleep around three or four and wake up a little late,” Mundhe said.
Mundhe said he would resume studying after waking up and often sat in the corridor between his room and the library.
One morning, at around 10 or 10.30 am, his friend approached him from behind, put his arm around his neck and started crying.
‘Seeing Him Cry Shocked Me’
“Seeing him cry shocked me. I asked him what had happened. But he kept crying. I don’t know whether there were actual tears in his eyes, but he was making those weeping sounds,” Mundhe recalled.
He said he initially feared that something serious had happened.
“I asked him what happened and started getting scared. He suddenly came to me while I was deeply involved in my studies and started telling me something,” Mundhe said.
His friend then asked him whether he had read the newspaper. Mundhe said he checked the newspaper but could not find anything unusual. He again asked his friend why he was crying. The answer left him surprised.
“He said, ‘Hey, Madhuri got married!’ I said, ‘So what?’ Then he replied, ‘Madhuri Dixit…’ Mundhe recalled, drawing laughter from the audience.
‘I Won't Dare Reveal That Right Now’
Mundhe said such incidents were common between the two friends during their preparation days.
He was also asked about his own favourite actor during the interaction. However, Mundhe chose not to reveal the name.
“As for who I liked, I won’t dare to reveal that right now. My married life is going smoothly,” he said jokingly.
The interview comes amid growing public attention around Mundhe following his recent actions as FDA commissioner. Since taking charge, he has led enforcement drives targeting food safety violations across Maharashtra, including raids at hotels, canteens and hospitals. His department has also taken action over issues involving adulterated paneer and milk.
