New Delhi : Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday expressed grief over the demise of Padma Vibhushan Shiv Shahir Babasaheb Purandare, saying “his death is the end of an era”.
Respected writer, historian and theatre personality Balwant Moreshwar, popularly known as Babasaheb Purandare, died at a private hospital in Pune early on Monday following a brief illness.
Taking to Twitter, the Union Home Minister reminded “A few years ago I had the privilege of meeting Babasaheb Purandare ji and had a long discussion. His energy and ideas were truly inspiring. His death is the end of an era.”
बाबासाहेब पुरंदरे यांचे दुःखद निधन झाल्याची बातमी ऐकून मन अत्यंत व्यथित झाले आहे. त्यांनी छत्रपती शिवाजी महाराजांचे गौरवपूर्ण चरित्र जनमानसात रुजवण्याचे भगीरथ कार्य केले. जाणता राजा नाटकाच्या माध्यमातून त्यांनी धर्मरक्षक शिवछत्रपतींची जीवनगाथा तरुणांपर्यंत पोहोचवली.
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) November 15, 2021
“My condolences to his family and countless fans. May God place him at his own feet,” the Home Minister tweeted in Hindi.
Purandare (99), popularly called ‘Shiv Shahir’ (Shivaji’s Bard) for his work on seventeenth-century Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji was recently diagnosed with pneumonia for which he was undergoing treatment, according to doctors at the Deenanath Mangeshkar hospital.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a series of tweets, also remembered Purandare as “witty, wise and with rich knowledge of Indian history”, and that he had the honour of interacting with him “very closely” over the years.
The Prime Minister also recalled having addressed his centenary year programme earlier this year.
“I am pained beyond words. The demise of Shivshahir Babasaheb Purandare leaves a major void in the world of history and culture. It is thanks to him that the coming generations will get further connected to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. His other works will also be remembered,” one of PM Modi’s tweets said.
In July this year, Purandare entered his centenary year and was greeted by a host of leaders from various fields including politics, cinema and literature.
Raja Shivchhatrapati, Purandare’s hugely popular two-part magnum opus on Shivaji, written in Marathi, was first published in the late 1950s and has since been a staple in Marathi households, going through numerous reprints over decades.
Born on July 29, 1922, at Saswad near Pune, Purandare was fascinated by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj from an early age and wrote essays and stories which were later published in a book form, ‘Thinagya’ (Sparks).