Bard of Chhatrapati Shivaji bows out

PUNE: Babasaheb Purandare lived for and breathed Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. His 10-volume Shivcharitra Raja ShivChhatrapati, thousands of lectures, and the epic play ‘Jaanta Raja’ not only took the illustrious life and battles of the Maratha king to every household in Maharashtra and beyond, but also embedded the mighty warrior’s memory further in the conscience of the people.
Purandare, an eminent history scholar, died on Monday in a Pune hospital of age-related pneumonia. He was 99. His last rites were performed with state honours.
For seven decades, Purandare was a ‘Shivshahir’ or bard of Shivaji Maharaj. He trekked to hundreds of forts the Maratha king had conquered, visited every home that could give him original documents, a weapon or anything connected to Shivaji and meticulously preserved every little piece with great love for posterity.
History never seemed dull or dry when Purandare took the podium. His powerful oratory brought to life his idol before the audience who always felt as if they were witnessing the life of Shivaji Maharaj unfold before their eyes.
Purandare honed his research skills under the guidance of renowned historians G H Khare and Shankarrao Joshi at Bharat Itihas Sanshodhak Mandal, a place of eminence in history in Pune. He was a poet, an excellent storyteller and narrator, an author, playwright and novelist. His participation in the Dadra Nagar Haveli liberation movement made him a freedom fighter too.
He celebrated his 99th birthday three months ago. At a felicitation, Purandare said, “One needs to be obsessed with history if one wants to understand it. I love Shivaji Maharaj, but I am not his pujari (priest) or his gulam (slave). I am enamoured with his intellect, his bravery and his wisdom. But most of all, I am in awe of his idea of nation building,” Purandare had then said. Babasaheb took the life of Shivaji Maharaj to common citizens in easy-to-understand but vivid language and did not lose sight of the fact that historical research was a science.