'मी बाबासाहेबांना साष्टांग नमस्कार करतो'; PM Modi wishes Babasaheb Purandare on his 100th birthday in Marathi

‘मी बाबासाहेबांना साष्टांग नमस्कार करतो. I pray to God that I imbibe the ideals that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj propagated and upheld and I convey my greetings to Purandare on him entering the 100th year of his life," PM Narendra Modi wished Babasaheb Purandare on his 100th birthday through video conference. On the other hand, Purandare said that it is a great thing for the Prime Minister of the country to wish him.

 

 

The civic reception of veteran writer and dramatist Babasaheb Purandare was organised on account of him stepping into the centenary year in Pune. Lot of guests were in the auditorium at Shivsrushti and online via video conferencing. Among them was Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In his ten-minute address through a video link, PM Modi spoke about the ideals of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj that Purandare spent the better part of eight decades writing and speaking about, and also wished him good health and a happy birthday in Marathi.

 

“At the beginning, I bow down and greet Shivshaahir Babasaheb Purandare, and I pray to God that I imbibe the ideals that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj propagated and upheld. I convey my greetings to Purandare on him entering the 100th year of his life, and I hope that his directions and his blessings are with us for a long time to come," PM Modi said, addressing the audience in Marathi and Hindi.

 

 

Both the current and former chief minister, Uddhav Thackeray and Devendra Fadnavis, wished Purandare through a letter and a video address, respectively. Also present was former Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan, who helped organise the civic reception and spoke briefly, as well as Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat, who joined remotely. Though Purandare present in person, Purandare addressed the gathering through a pre-recorded speech, speaking about his long career as a writer and dramatist, and his experience over the years reading, researching, and writing about Shivaji Maharaj.

 

 

 

PM Modi, in his adddress also noted the happy coincidence of his century falling in the 75th year of India’s independence. He also highlighted Baba Saheb Purandre’s contribution in writing history of the immortal souls of our History. “All of us will always be indebted to him for his sterling contribution of taking the life and history of Shivaji Maharaj to people" he said.

 

 

Purandare, born in Saswad, near Pune, in 1922, has been honored with Padma Vibhushan in 2019, the then Maharashtra Government decorated him with Maharashtra Bhushan Award in 2015. Madhya Pradesh Government also saluted him by awarding him Kalidas award. "Baba Saheb Purandare’s work reflect his unwavering devotion to Shivaji Maharaj, in his works Shivaji Maharaj comes alive in our hearts," he added.

 

PM Modi also remembered his personal attendance in the programs of Baba Saheb and praised his zeal for taking history to the youth in its full glory and inspiration. He is always mindful that history is communicated in its true form. “This balance is needed for country’s history, he never let his devotion and litterateur in him to affect his sense of history. I will appeal to the young historian to maintain the same standards when they write the History of India’s freedom Struggle on the occasion of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav”, he said. He also recalled Baba Saheb Purandare’s contributions from the Goa Mukti Sangram to the Dadar Nagar Haveli freedom struggle.