Modi mourns historian Babasaheb Purandare death

• Shubham
• 15 November, 2021

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By: Shubham Ghosh

INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi mourned along with many others the death of noted historian-writer Balwant Moreshwar Purandare, popularly called ‘Babasaheb’, on Monday (15). He was 99. Purandare was known to be an authority on Chhatrapati Shivaji, a 17th century Maratha king, and dedicated his life to history and research.

In a tweet, Modi said, “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.”

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. pic.twitter.com/Ehu4NapPSL

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 15, 2021

The veteran historian was on ventilator support at a private hospital in Pune in the western Indian state of Maharashtra after being admitted a few days ago due to age-related ailments. He passed away around 5 am local time. He was born in Pune in 1922.

Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray announced a state funeral for Purandare, who was also a recipient of Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian award, in 2019. He was also conferred the Maharashtra Bhushan award in 2015.

शिवशाहीर बाबासाहेब पुरंदरे यांच्या पार्थिवावर शासकीय इतमामात अंत्यसंस्कार करण्याच्या सूचना मुख्यमंत्री उद्धव बाळासाहेब ठाकरे यांनी दिल्या आहेत.

— CMO Maharashtra (@CMOMaharashtra) November 15, 2021

He wrote and directed Marathi play ‘Jaanta Raja’, which is based on the life of Shivaji and has been performed by more than 200 artistes and translated and enacted in as many as five languages. He was called ‘Shivshahir’, a moniker which means ‘Shivaji’s bard’. He started writing stories related to Shivaji’s ruling period at a very young age, which was later compiled into the book titled ‘Thinagya’. His other renowned books include ‘Raja Shiva Chatrapati’ and ‘Kesari’.