Spellbound by Raigad

Forts are his passion. And Raigad has almost grown to become an obsession for Dr. Ravindra Lohokare. No wonder then, he is this year's re...

Forts are his passion. And Raigad has almost grown to become an obsession for Dr. Ravindra Lohokare. No wonder then, he is this year8217;s recipient of the Mrunmayee award, instituted in the memory of fort-lover, the late G N Dandekar. The award is in appreciation of Lohokare8217;s depiction of the fort through photographs.

A member of Babasaheb Purandare8217;s Janata Raja troupe, Lohokare is a diligent follower in the historian8217;s footsteps. Gauging that people probably do not have enough information to develop their interest in events and people historical, Lohokare decided that he would try and address the issue, doing whatever he could.

That was how the idea took root to set up an information centre, dealing with Raigad. 8220;I had heard about such information centres set up about historic sites in other countries. As far as I knew, we did not have this kind of a service here. Taking up three acres of land around Raigad, we propose to set up a Raigad Darshan Pratishthan,8221; says Lohokare.

Though still on paper, the plans include a permanent exhibition of about 500 enlarged photographs of the fort, some as large as six feet by four feet. Various moods and angles of the majestic Raigad captured by Lohokare in the past 10 years, its various nooks and crannies that have each witnessed some significant chapter of history.

8220;The fort boasts of a long and eventful history, right since before the days of Chhatrapati Shivaji till the British period. The most significant, of course, being the Maratha warrior8217;s splendid coronation ceremony. These are important episodes, and each of us does have a link to this past. Actually visiting the site, seeing the place that hosted all the action 8211; nothing can match the thrill of such history lessons,8221; he says, hopeful that school trips will increase to this capital of Chhatrapati Shivaji.

Plans to organise a three-dimensional animation show and a son et lumiere are also on the anvil, as is the setting up of a mini hospital and nursery. With the present sources of the funds mostly being the proceeds gathered from the various exhibitions of the photographs and donations, Lohokare is hopeful that this presentation of history will be ready in about three to four years time, according the populace with an almost real encounter with the phantom past.