Ninad Gangadhar Bedekar (17 August 1949 – 10 May 2015) was a historian, writer and orator from

Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, ( the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million As of 2021, Pune Metropolitan Region is the largest i ...

, Maharashtra,

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, writing and speaking in

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people *Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece See also * * ...

. He was specialized in research of the rule of warrior-king Chatrapati

Shivaji Shivaji Bhonsale I (; 19 February 1630 – 3 April 1680), also referred to as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, was an Indian ruler and a member of the Bhonsle Maratha clan. Shivaji carved out his own independent kingdom from the declining Adil ...

Maharaj and was known for his scientific and scholarly approach to the subject of Maratha history.

Career

He was the grandson of Sardar Raste of Pune. He is the son of notable freedom fighter Pramila Tai Bedekar. Bedekar was an engineer by profession and was serving in Cummins India Limited for 15 years. Bedekar was known for his research on the forts of Maharashtra,

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the seco ...

and about 75 forts outside India, having led numerous treks to them. He was a life member Shri Shivaji Raigad Smarak Mandal - Pune, Shri Shivaji Raigad Smarak Mandal – (Chairman) Maharastra Kalopasak, Pune – (Chairman). He was acquainted with

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

and

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

, as well as the

Modi script Modi ( mr, मोडी, , ; also Mudiya) is a script used to write the Marathi language, which is the primary language spoken in the state of Maharashtra, India. There are multiple theories concerning its origin. The Modi script was used along ...

. He was a life member of

Bharat Itihas Sanshodhak Mandal Bharat Itihas Sanshodhak Mandal, popularly known as Itihas Sanshodhak Mandal or just ‘Mandal’, is an Indian institute providing resources and training for historical researchers. It is located at Pune in Maharashtra state. The institute wa ...

, Pune and an honorary member of Fort Renovation and Beautification Committee for the Government of Maharashtra. He held a diploma in mechanical engineering, and has worked for Kirloskar Cummins Ltd (now Cummins India Limited). He had given many lectures widely all over Maharashtra on Maratha history. He scripted the Son et lumière show at Shanivarwada, and wrote the script for Marathi TV serial Peshwai. Bedekar transliterated some rare documents written in

about the

Maratha empire The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern Indian confederation that came to dominate much of the Indian subcontinent in the 18th century. Maratha rule formally began in 1674 with the coronation of Sh ...

that were found in the UK. He had written many books that include Durgkatha, Shartiche Shiledar and Maharastratil Durg among others. He was an expert on forts in India and abroad. In 2003, Bedekar succeeded, along with the Maratha-Hindu-nationalist organization, Shiv Sena, in having

James Laine James W. Laine is an American academic and writer notable for his controversial book on the 17th-century Indian king Shivaji, ''Shivaji: Hindu King in Islamic India''.

's academic monograph, ''Shivaji: Hindu king in Islamic India'' (Oxford University Press) banned in their state.

Death

Bedekar died in 2015, at the age 65 in

Bibliography

* ''Durgakathaa'' / ''दुर्गकथा'' * ''Shartiche Shiledaara ( 5 Parts )'' / ''शर्तीचे शिलेदार (५ भाग)'' * ''Hasaraa Itihaasa'' / ''हसरा इतिहास'' * ''Durgavaibhava'' / ''दुर्गवैभव'' * ''Itihaasa Durgaanchaa'' / ''इतिहास दुर्गांचा'' * ''Mahaaraastraatila Durga'' / ''महाराष्ट्रातील दुर्ग'' * ''Saaksha Itihaasaachi'' / ''साक्ष इतिहासाची'' * ''Thoralaa Raajaa Saanguna Gelaa'' / ''थोरला राजा सांगून गेला'' * ''Khaanderee'' / ''खांदेरी'' * ''Javhaara'' / ''जव्हार'' * ''Gajakathaa'' / ''गजकथा'' * ''Ekaa Navina Shivacharitraachyaa Nimittaane'' / ''एका नवीन शिवचरित्राच्या निमित्ताने'' * ''Vijaya Durgaache Rahasya / ''विजयदुर्गाचे रहस्य'' * ''छत्रपती शिवाजी महाराज व पहिले बाजीराव पेशवे यांची "कालातीत व्यवस्थापन तत्वे"''. * '''shivbhushan'. He presented 'Shivbhushan', a poem in the Brajabhasha, on an audio CD.'' He wrote the foreword to the critically acclaimed book '' Solstice at Panipat'' by Uday Kulkarni.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bedekar, Ninad 1949 births 2015 deaths Marathi-language writers Marathi people 20th-century Indian historians Writers from Pune