More support state award for Purandare

PUNE: Eminent personalities from education, law, films and theatre have come out in support of history scholar Babasaheb Purandare and his selection for the Maharashtra Bhushan award by the state government.In two statements issued here on Tuesday, eminent lawyer S K Jain, builder Bharat Desadla, industrialist Pralhad Rathi, Maharashtra Education Society's Ravindra Vanjarwadkar, Grahak Panchayat's founder member Suryakant Pathak and others have condemned the attempt to malign Purandare. "We have seen that some elements in society have tried to confine great personalities in the narrow boundaries of caste several times in the past 15 years. Such attempts not only create a rift in society but also mislead people. Babasaheb Purandare's work and immense contribution make him worthy of the award," the statement said.Another statement was put out by film and theatre artistes in which media personality and actor Bharat Dabholkar said he was pained by the raging controversy over the award. " Babasaheb never called himself a historian, he preferred to be known as a Shivshahir, a bard. He played a pivotal role in taking Shivaji Maharaj and his work to the younger generations and the common people. He nurtured and kept alive his love for Shivaji Maharaj among the people through lectures, books and the epic 'Janata Raja' . It is foolish to label his writings as casteist," he added.Actor Vijay Kadam said that if one added, subtracted, multiplied and divided the forts in Maharashtra and the life of Shivaji Maharaj, one will get only one answer – Babasaheb Purandare." Purandare, who thinks of himself as a kirtankar of Shivaji Maharaj, is most suitable for the award. If history gets confined to only books, it dies. But Purandare kept it alive for generation," said actor, writer and director Chinmay Mandalekar. Actor Sharad Ponkshe described Purandare as an excellent orator and history scholar, among the few personalities who command respect.Writer Abhiram Bhadkamkar said the award was not for one person, but for his untiring efforts and research. " He never used Shivaji Maharaj's name as a currency. He trekked the forts numerous times and created interest in history in the minds of the youth," he said.Others like singer Ravindra Sathe, actor-music director Vighnesh Joshi, actor Uday Sabnis, writers Kamlesh Walavalkar and Vivek Apte have also support to Purandare's selection.Meanwhile, the Pune police have also intensified patrolling in the city to avoid any untoward incident. "The security outside Purandare' s house has also been beefed up," a senior police officer said.