Shiv Shahir Babasaheb Purandare | |
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| Born | Balwant Moreshwar Purandare (1922-07-29)29 July 1922[1][2] |
| Died | 15 November 2021(2021-11-15) (aged 99) Pune, Maharashtra, India |
| Occupation(s) | Historian, writer, orator |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Awards | Padma Vibhushan (2019) Maharashtra Bhushan (2015) Kalidas Samman (2007–08) |
Balwant Moreshwar Purandare (29 July 1922 – 15 November 2021), popularly known asBabasaheb Purandare, was an Indian historian and writer of books and plays fromMaharashtra, India.[3] His works are mostly based on the life ofShivaji, the 17th-century founder of theMaratha Empire; as a result he is calledShiv-Shahir ("Shivaji's bard").[4] He is mostly known for his popular play on Shivaji,Jaanta Raja. Purandare also studied the history of thePeshwas of Pune. In 2015, he was awarded theMaharashtra Bhushan Award,Maharashtra's highest civilian award.[5] He was awarded thePadma Vibhushan, India's second-highest civilian award on 25 January 2019.
Babasaheb was born in Pune in 1922 and belonged to the noble family of thePurandare, who were senior Sardars in the court of thePeshwa. In 1930, when he was seven, the Purandare family had to move out from Pune as a wave of plague had returned to the city. They temporarily shifted to a relative’s home inDonje on the city outskirts, at the foothills ofSinhagad Fort. During this stay, the family would visit the fort and Babasaheb's father would tell him stories of the fort and Shivaji's rendezvous at the hilly citadel which was once calledKondhana.His young mind was so taken by the history and stories of theMaratha Empire and the ramparts of the forts, that for the next nine decades it would be the sole preoccupation of his life.[6]
In the early days of his career he worked inAcharya Atre's newspaper as a journalist. He made several contributions in the formative years of theShiv Sena as a senior party leader. He also participated in theLiberation of Dadra and Nagar Haveli fromPortuguese rule.[7]
Purandare had started writing stories related to the period of Shivaji's reign at a very young age, which were later compiled and published in a book titledThinagya ("Sparks"). His other works include books titledRaja Shiva-Chatrapati andKesari, and a book on life ofNarayanrao Peshwa. His most well-known work is the drama,Jaanata Raja, a widely popular play on Shivaji published and first staged in 1985. Since then the drama has been staged over 1000 times in 16 districts of Maharashtra, Agra, Delhi, Bhopal, and the United States. Originally written inMarathi, this work was later translated into Hindi.[1][8] This drama is performed by over 200 artists, and includes elephants, camels and horses. Generally the performance of this drama begins aroundDiwali each year.
For his works, in the field of drama, he was awarded theKalidas Samman by theMadhya Pradesh government for 2007–08.[1]
Historically, hisfamily held positions of power in theMaratha Empire, which gave him access to a lot of objects,ceremonial weaponry and documents. They were aptly ustilised by him and formed the basis of some of his literature. The items which were part of his family heritage were properly documented, analyzed and many donations to museums took place. He has also worked immensely in the field of historicalarchiving as well as proper restoration of historical documents andartifacts from theMaratha Period. TheVishrambaug Wada houses many such items painstakingly preserved by him.After his demise,there has been an outcry regarding the fate of the artifacts, their preservation and proper caretaking at the Wada.
He also foundedशिवसृष्टी (ShivShrushti) nearAmbegaon in Pune, which preserves the Maratha culture and artistic prowess from the rule of Shivaji.[9]
He belonged to the Deshastha Rigvedi Purandare Family. His wife,Nirmala Purandare, was a veteran social activist. She founded the Vanasthali organisation in Pune.[10] She was known for working amongst rural women, and in the area of child development. Her brother, Shree Ga Majgaonkar, and Babasaheb Purandare had a very close association in the field of literature. Babasaheb Purandare has a daughter, Madhuri, and two sons, Amrut and Prasad. All his children are active in the Marathi literary field.[11] Madhuri Purandare, his daughter, is a renowned writer, painter, and singer.[12]
Over his lifetime, he donated a lot of his income from literature to numerous charitable organizations and NGOs which fight for a good cause.In one such instance, he kept only 10 paise of the ₹10Lakh cash award for receiving theMaharashtra Bhushan. He added ₹15 Lakhs from his own pocket, and donated the entire sum towards cancer research.[13]
Purandare died from pneumonia on 15 November 2021, at the age of 99 in a hospital in Pune.[3][14][15]
Purandare's critics have accused him of distorting history.[16] One of their biggest criticisms has been that Purandare has portrayed Dadoji Kondadeo as Shivaji's guru.[17]
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