Royal Hues

An amalgamation of over 60 paintings by five artistes in oil, acrylic and sketching, the exhibition titled Shivaji- a hero of modern India unveils the important events in the life of the greatest Maratha warrior along with the help of historic documents, letters and declarations. “Shivaji Maharaj was undoubtedly the greatest warrior in the history of Maharashtra. Through this exhibition, we want to highlight the facets that made him a great leader,” says Kumkum Naren, representative, Fact India.

Various events such as Shivaji Maharaj’s encounter with the Mughal emperors on the Deccan plateau, his visit to Bhavani temple, his historic meeting with the Bijapur general- Afzal Khan, Mughal Sardar Shaista Khan and warrior Mirza Raja Jaisingh are depicted in the form of paintings in the exhibition. The visitors can also get to experience the ideology of the Maratha emperor through the fact sheets attached by the side of the paintings. For instance in as early as 1677, he had felt the need of strengthening the navy which is mentioned in the declaration displayed at the exhibition. “We also have the replicas of original declarations issued by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb to catch Shivaji Maharaj, a letter that describes the dignity with which he faced Aurangzeb and so on. We have obtained these copies from the original documents in Bikaner museum,” adds Naren.

She further adds, “We had last year organised similar exhibition on Aurangzeb at Balgandharv rangmanch and the response was overwhelming. This year however, despite having a topic as dear as Shivaji Maharaj the footfall generated is not satisfactory. We are hoping that more and more visitors, especially students will visit the exhibition in the days to come.”