Prime Minister Modi, Home Minister Shah condole demise of ShivShahir Babasaheb Purandare

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday expressed his condolence on the demise of notable historian, author and Padma Vibhushan awardee Balwant Moreshwar Purandare who was popularly known as Babasaheb Purandare.
Purandare, 99, passed away at Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital in Pune, Maharashtra around 5 am today.

In a series of tweets, the Prime Minister said that Babasaheb Purandare left a major void in the world of history and culture.
“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,” he said.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah also 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.”
“My condolences to his family and countless fans. May God place him at his own feet,” the Home Minister tweeted in Hindi.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray announced a state funeral for the Padma Vibhushan awardee historian and author Babasaheb Purandare, who passed away early this morning, informed the Chief Minister’s Office.

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.

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).