India News | Babasaheb Purandare: The Celebrity Historian Who Took History and Chhatrapati Shivaji to Masses
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. Historian-writer and narrator Babasaheb Purandare endeared himself to the masses and intellectuals alike through his eternal devotion for Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and through his simple style of narration which not only made people relate themselves with the historical events but also taught them how to link the past with the present.
Pune, Nov 15 (PTI) Historian-writer and narrator Babasaheb Purandare endeared himself to the masses and intellectuals alike through his eternal devotion for Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and through his simple style of narration which not only made people relate themselves with the historical events but also taught them how to link the past with the present.
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Born as Balwant Moreshwar Purandare in the Pune district of Maharashtra, the 'Shivshahir' or 'bard' of Chhatrapati Shivaji is mainly credited for his magnum opus "Raja Shivchhatrapati", a two-volume book that went on to become the household staple in Maharashtra.
Though he had done extensive research on the history, and especially Shivaji Maharaj, Purandare adopted a lucid and simple narration style while explaining the 17th Century Maratha king, his grandeur and era, which very few historians could do.
His trademark beard and long white hair just complemented his personality as a historian.
"Babasaheb Purandare's writing on Shivaji Maharaj was lucid and entertaining and that is why it appealed to the masses. Very few historians could match that kind of style. The common writers could not even think of words which were used by Babasaheb while portraying Shivaji Maharaj, his deeds, and the era," observes Mandar Lawate, a historian in Pune.
Purandare had also conceived and directed the theatrical history extravaganza on Shivaji Maharaj's life titled 'Janata Raja' in the mid-1980s.
There is no other play by any writer on any subject which could match with Purandare's larger-than-life 'Janata Raja', in which elephants, horses, and more than 200 artists were used on the stage.
"Forget about the history, but no one could till date managed to bring elephants, horses on the stage and to be able to do multiple shows in the country as well as abroad," Lawate said.
The 'Janata Raja' was first staged in 1985 in Pune.
Diwakar Pande, who was closely associated with Purandare and was actively involved in organising the shows of 'Janta Raja', recalled that Purandare had drawn inspiration from Roman ballets.
"He had studied grand shows of Roman ballets. In 1978, he sent me a letter from London and expressed his wish that he wanted to produce such magnum opus play in India and asked me to start research on it," Pande recalled.
Sanjay Purandare (65), who had performed as "first shahir" in 'Janata Raja', recalled that Babasaheb picked common people who didn't know acting much and honed their skills.
"He asked me to become a shahir in the play when I was 20 and honed my skills. He showed me several movies, including from Hollywood, to mould me into the character of a shahir," he told PTI.
Though Babasaheb Purandare is mainly credited with taking the life and works of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj to the masses through his research, he was also criticised by some Maratha outfits which had accused him of distorting facts about the Maratha king.
According to Lawate, the opposition to Babasaheb Purandare's research was merely political.
"If one wants to criticise his research, he should do it by carrying out a counter-research. However, such an attempt was never done by anyone. Be it at the international or national history Congresses, no one has till date, can showcase research (on Shivaji Maharaj like Babasaheb did)," he added.
A versatile personality, Babasaheb was a writer, director, poet, historian, and expert on language. His writings gave pleasure to all, he said.
"Have you ever seen the photos of any historian displayed at kiosks selling paans? That was Babasaheb, a celebrity historian," Lawate said.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)