Babasaheb Purandare was an Indian historian and theatre personality from Maharashtra, India. He was known for his work on the history of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. He has written several books on Shivaji, his style of administration, as well as the forts from the era. He had also directed “Jaanta Raja”, a popular play on Chhatrapati’s life and leadership, the 17th-century founder of the Maratha Empire
Born on July 29, 1922, at Balwant Moreshwar Purandare in Saswad, Pune district. Due to his large amount of work on Shivaji’s life he was widely known as Shiv Shahir (Shivaji’s Bard) which means Shivaji’s poet.
In 1985, he wrote and directed the play ‘Jaanta Raja’, which involved over 200 artists, and several horses and elephants. The play was translated into several languages and was performed even outside the state of Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, and the US.
Apart from writing history, Babasaheb Purandare was an excellent storyteller. His selection of words to describe an incident from the chapters of history was unmatchable. Babasaheb was quite popular amongst the common man of the country as all were keen to know the facts and life of Chhatrapati Shivaji, of which only a small portion was available in history books and a large portion was hidden from the books. No wonder the fascinating facets of life and works of the first Chhatrapati of the Maratha empire inspire millions of minds even today.
Despite this great career of writing and doing social work he was also surrounded by some controversy, when the Maharastra govt decided to award him for his brilliant work on Chhatrapati Shivaji. A few political workers filed the PIL against Babasaheb Purandare alleged that he has stained the reputation of Maratha warrior-king Shivaji through his writings. The PIL was filed by two activists of the Shambhaji Brigade. The Bombay HC, however, quashed the PIL and called it a ‘publicity stunt’. The HC said there was no ‘substance’ in the petition and even fined the petitioners Rs 10,000 for wasting the court’s time
Since his initial years, Babasaheb Purandare has been closely associated with the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh). During the same time, between 1955 to 1961, he actively worked in the freedom struggle of Dadra and Nagar Haveli which was then under the Portuguese regime. During this time he continued reciting his well-researched story on the era of the Maratha regime in general and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in particular.
Babasaheb’s Work
Purandare started writing about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj from an early age, creating stories and essays about the Maratha king.
He is known as an eminent authority on the Maratha King Chhatrapati Shivaji and started writing about his life and achievements at a very young age. He published a book called Thinagya which translates to Sparks on Shivaji.
Other works of Babasaheb include books titled Raja Shiva Chatrapati and Kesari along with the book Narayanrao Peshwa.
In his prolific writing career, Purandare wrote several books, including a two-volume biography of the king “Raje Shivchhatrapati”. His other prominent publications include “Maharaj”, “Shelar Khind”, “Gadkot Kille”, “Agra”, “Lal Mahal”, “Purandar”, “Rajgad”, “Panhalgad”, “Sinhagad”, “Pratapgad”, “Fulwanti”, “Purandaryanchi Daulat”, “Mujaryache Mankari”, “Savitri” and “Kalawantinicha Sajja”.
Apart from this, he is best known for his most popular drama Jaanta Raja which has been enacted in 5 languages, since 1985. It was originally written in Marathi. He had also received several awards for it.
AWARDS
In 2015, the state government awarded the Maharashtra Bhushan award to Purandare. He was also the recipient of the country’s second highest civilian honor the Padma Vibhushan in 2019 by Modi Govt.
For this widely-popular drama Jaanta Raja, he also received the Kalidas Samman from the Government of Madhya Pradesh in 2007-08.
DEMISE
Babasaheb Purandare, passed away on 15 November 2021, aged 99 when he was admitted to Pune’s Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital.
May his dedication and desire to instill the values of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in modern day society see the utmost success.
