Spirit of Shivaji lights up Wellington
The sound of the ancient trumpet known as “tutari” reverberated around the hall of the TSB stadium, as the gathering was about to witness a piece of history to commemorate the Diwali celebrations in Wellington. The capital boasts a small Maharashtrian population compared to its larger cousin Auckland, but this group has left a mark on the landscape of Wellington by remembering the contribution of the father of Indian independence movement, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
Wellington has witnessed colours of India during its Diwali celebrations, mainly the Rajasthani folk arts, the Bharatnatyams, Tabla players, Bangla artists and a few others items like classical instrumentalists and vocals, but never have they been exposed to the rich tradition of Maharashtra and its cultural variety.
The era of Moghul rule in the Deccan plateau was the source of inspiration for the Marathi King Shivaji to start his freedom movement and several artists supported the cause and spread the message through songs and music. These patriotic songs interlaced with a powerful message were the erstwhile “walls of Facebook” in that era, known as Powada. Powada provided a platform for spreading the message of freedom and the valour’s of Shivaji’s deeds, through the eyes of those who had witnessed the events live.
The Maharashtrian association in Wellington had hit upon a unique concept to present not only its cultural diversity in the form of a Powada but also wanted to send a message of the destruction of evil, to commemorate Diwali. This they achieved through the medium of Powada, which essayed the story of the “assassination of Afzal Khan”.
Legend has it that the wife of Adilshah of Bijapur (Badi Bi), challenged the commanders of the Mughal army to bring the head of Shivaji in the durbar (court) and this challenge was accepted by Afzal Khan. Shivaji’s forces were no match for Afzal Khan’s huge army, his only chance was balanced on his ability to outsmart them. So to level the playing field, Shivaji moves his army to Pratapgarh fort that is situated in a dense forest valley area – where Afzal Khan’s immense forces with their cannons, muskets, elephants, horses and camels would not be able to fight effectively.
Afzal Khan has no intention to let Shivaji go alive and was confident of his might and powers to be able to kill him anywhere, so he agrees to meet him in the forest, with only personal bodyguards on each side during the meeting. Clever Shivaji, the mountain rat, as Aurangzeb used to refer him for his ability to spring surprises with his guerrilla warfare, was more than prepared for the encounter. The scene is set for a legendary victory of freedom over oppression which will be told for centuries to come....the scene is set for the famous Maratha battle cry, “Har Har Mahadev”.
This epic story in the form of Powada was performed by an ensemble of more than 30 members of the Maharashtrian community with full costumes and live music. The cast included key members of the community; who had worked hard to bring this production to the celebrations; Bharat Sangekar, Atul Deshpande, Sachin Ayachit, Sagar Deshpande, Rohit Nanekar, Sunil Bhonsule to name a few.
In order that the message and the theme is well understood by the diverse audience which included Kiwis, and members of Indian community from other regions, the Marathi Powada was presented with an introductory narrative in English and the entire Powada was a mix bag of Hindi and Marathi.
A superlative effort from a community known for its prowess in education, music, art and literature (not to forget Cricket). It was great to see more variety coming forward in the Indian diaspora in Wellington and it will provide a platform for Kiwis to understand our culture and diversity in a much better way.
The sound of the ancient trumpet known as “tutari” reverberated around the hall of the TSB stadium, as the gathering was about to witness a piece of history to commemorate the Diwali celebrations in Wellington. The capital boasts a small Maharashtrian population compared to its larger cousin...
The sound of the ancient trumpet known as “tutari” reverberated around the hall of the TSB stadium, as the gathering was about to witness a piece of history to commemorate the Diwali celebrations in Wellington. The capital boasts a small Maharashtrian population compared to its larger cousin Auckland, but this group has left a mark on the landscape of Wellington by remembering the contribution of the father of Indian independence movement, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
Wellington has witnessed colours of India during its Diwali celebrations, mainly the Rajasthani folk arts, the Bharatnatyams, Tabla players, Bangla artists and a few others items like classical instrumentalists and vocals, but never have they been exposed to the rich tradition of Maharashtra and its cultural variety.
The era of Moghul rule in the Deccan plateau was the source of inspiration for the Marathi King Shivaji to start his freedom movement and several artists supported the cause and spread the message through songs and music. These patriotic songs interlaced with a powerful message were the erstwhile “walls of Facebook” in that era, known as Powada. Powada provided a platform for spreading the message of freedom and the valour’s of Shivaji’s deeds, through the eyes of those who had witnessed the events live.
The Maharashtrian association in Wellington had hit upon a unique concept to present not only its cultural diversity in the form of a Powada but also wanted to send a message of the destruction of evil, to commemorate Diwali. This they achieved through the medium of Powada, which essayed the story of the “assassination of Afzal Khan”.
Legend has it that the wife of Adilshah of Bijapur (Badi Bi), challenged the commanders of the Mughal army to bring the head of Shivaji in the durbar (court) and this challenge was accepted by Afzal Khan. Shivaji’s forces were no match for Afzal Khan’s huge army, his only chance was balanced on his ability to outsmart them. So to level the playing field, Shivaji moves his army to Pratapgarh fort that is situated in a dense forest valley area – where Afzal Khan’s immense forces with their cannons, muskets, elephants, horses and camels would not be able to fight effectively.
Afzal Khan has no intention to let Shivaji go alive and was confident of his might and powers to be able to kill him anywhere, so he agrees to meet him in the forest, with only personal bodyguards on each side during the meeting. Clever Shivaji, the mountain rat, as Aurangzeb used to refer him for his ability to spring surprises with his guerrilla warfare, was more than prepared for the encounter. The scene is set for a legendary victory of freedom over oppression which will be told for centuries to come....the scene is set for the famous Maratha battle cry, “Har Har Mahadev”.
This epic story in the form of Powada was performed by an ensemble of more than 30 members of the Maharashtrian community with full costumes and live music. The cast included key members of the community; who had worked hard to bring this production to the celebrations; Bharat Sangekar, Atul Deshpande, Sachin Ayachit, Sagar Deshpande, Rohit Nanekar, Sunil Bhonsule to name a few.
In order that the message and the theme is well understood by the diverse audience which included Kiwis, and members of Indian community from other regions, the Marathi Powada was presented with an introductory narrative in English and the entire Powada was a mix bag of Hindi and Marathi.
A superlative effort from a community known for its prowess in education, music, art and literature (not to forget Cricket). It was great to see more variety coming forward in the Indian diaspora in Wellington and it will provide a platform for Kiwis to understand our culture and diversity in a much better way.
Leave a Comment