Noted historian and Padma Vibhushan awardee Balwant Moreshwar Purandare, popularly known as Babasaheb Purandare, died at a Pune hospital after a brief illness, a doctor said.
Purandare (99) was an authority on the Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Purandare was awarded Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian award in 2019. He was conferred with the Maharashtra Bhushan award in 2015. He had conceived and directed the theatrical history extravaganza on Shivaji Maharaj’s life titled Jaanta Raja.
