Noted historian, theatre personality, and Padma Vibhushan awardee Balwant Moreshwar Purandare, widely known as Babasaheb Purandare, passed away on Monday, 15 November, in Pune.
The 99-year-old was diagnosed with pneumonia a week ago and was on ventilator support in the Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital, Pune, news agency PTI reported.
Purandare penned many works on Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Shivaji, and directed a popular play on his life titled Jaanta Raja in the 1980s.
Reacting to his death, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences, saying that he was pained beyond words.
He added, “Shivshahir Babasaheb Purandare was witty, wise and had rich knowledge of Indian history. I had the honour of interacting with him very closely over the years. A few months back, I had addressed his centenary year programme."
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray announced a state funeral for Purandare.
“There was no fort, structure or historical area pertaining to Chhatrapati Shivaji that Babasaheb had not studied… He gathered every possible reference to the great King’s life and studied and researched him with an awe-inspiring sincerity as Babasaheb considered this to be the work of his life…his demise will leave an unfillable void in Maharashtra's cultural, literary and artistic heritage,” Thackeray said in a statement, as per The Hindu.
(With inputs from PTI and The Hindu.)
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