Residents to celebrate Shivaji, the Maratha warrior king, Governor Ram Naik to be chief guest

NOIDA: Members of RWA federation and Motherland International Foundation will host a cultural celebration of Shivaji, the 17th century warrior king and founder of Maratha empire at Indira Gandhi Kala Kendra sector 6 on Thursday, March 29 where Uttar Pradesh governor Ram Naik will be the chief guest along with Union Culture Minister and minister of state of Environment, Forest and Climate change Dr Mahesh Sharma.The program will include celebrating the works of Balwant Moreshwar Purandare popularly called Babasaheb Purandare who wrote the biography of Shivaji in Marathi and later converted it into a drama / play titled Raja Shiv Chatrapati. The play is slated to be staged in Hindi at the Red Fort from April 6-10.
“With an aim to perpetuate the greatness of Shivaji Maharaj in the people's mind through Pune's Babasaheb Purandare’s biography and later play on the Maratha king, we in Noida in collaboration with Motherland International Foundation will host a cultural evening on Thursday, March 29 at the Indira Gandhi Kala Kendra sector 6,” said N P Singh, president Federation of Noida Residents welfare Associations (FONRWA).
While Purandare’s play will be staged in Hindi at the Red Fort in the capital from April 6 to 10 across a four-storey stage, live music including about 250 artists and props such as elephants and horses erected to transport the audience into Shivaji's era, the Noida celebrations prior to that on March 29 will include an honorarium to 95-year-old Purandare by Governor Ram Naik along with cultural evening celebrating the Maratha king.
“Touted as one of the epic dramas, Raja Shiv Chatrapati teaches the importance of rashtra dharma (national duty) and service towards the society and mankind. These values need to be reiterated and celebrated in today’s times,” said Singh who has urged all RWAs to attend the program on Thursday.