‘Sangeet Shivswarajyagatha", an epic musical retelling of Maratha history at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Park Art Festival 2022 in Mumbai

‘Sangeet Shivswarajyagatha", an epic musical retelling of Maratha history at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Park Art Festival 2022 in Mumbai

Mumbai: The audience has witnessed and celebrated the history of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and the history of the Maratha Empire through various dramas, ballads and films. But, here's 'Sangeet Shivswarajyagatha' which is perhaps the biggest & most-enriching broadway musical show of the warrior king and his brave soldiers. The Maratha History of the Shivshahi Era is all set to unravel again on the stage post pandemic this Fri. 25th Feb at 7pm at the prestigious Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Park Art Festival 2022 with the decade old show. 

The grand show aimed at nation building in current times highlights the teachings and administrative excellence of the Shivshahi Era emphasizing on Management, Effective leadership skills of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Forts and Fortification, importance of having a naval force and lesser known  Maratha soldiers & warriors like Bajiprabhu Deshpande, Shiva Kashid, Ramaji Pangera, Suryarao Kakade, Firangoji Narsala and more.

Conceptualized in 2011 as Shivrudrache Digvijayi Tandav, by Saisha Foundation the show has sensitized  and empowered several young minds including students at IIM Ahmedabad. There are total 42 original, well-researched songs in the musical, written and composed by Anil Nalawade, which describes daring adventures of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's life, his unique battle techniques, his vision of Hindavi Swarajya, and most importantly the dedication and valour with which he as the Leader entrusted faith upon his bravehearts and all of them together as a Team worked towards building a great nation.

Padmashree Rao, Show Director and Narrator for the musical, Sangeet Shivswarajyagatha shares, "The uniqueness of Sangeet Shivswarajyagatha is that it has songs of real unsung heroes from the Shivshahi Era, the songs are in itself narratives of a glorious past intertwined with emotions and feelings of each youth who yearned for freedom of our country from the invaders in those times. But this musical is not mere historical reference, but also, encourages one to look upto ‘Nation First’ when it comes to any challenge that we face as a country. So also, it makes us look at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj not only as a great warrior but also as a great administrator whose timeless management techniques are still applicable today. Sangeet Shivswarajyagatha touches these topics as well which are written and narrated by keeping in mind today’s youth. We do not preach, but cite examples from history and the present day thus making them think of their individual lives from a broader perspective. In fact, the preludes to the songs are filled with motivating examples of our Indian Defense Forces Martyrs as well as bravehearts. We cite parallels of battles held 350 years ago and today's scenarios. The outcome is that the audience is mesmerized at the same time they take away a motivational thought towards nation building."

The musical focuses on some of the key events in history like Birth of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Battle of Pratapgarh, Battle of Salher,  Maharaj's visit to Agra, Treaty of Purandar, Battle of Sinhgad, Bajiprabhu Deshpande and his 600 Bandal Deshmukhs who braved 2000 enemies in the Battle of Pavankhind, Battle of Nesari, Oath of Hindavi Swarajya, Confrontations with the Mughal, production of ‘Rājavyavahārakośa’, the thesaurus of state usage by replacing Persian and Arabic terms with their Sanskrit equivalents and more.

Anil Nalawade who has written & composed the songs further adds, ‘In Sangeet Shivswarajyagatha, I have penned valour with emotions. For example, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj as a warrior, as a husband, as a father and as a son. This is why the audience till now has loved Sangeet Shivswarajyagatha for its motivational content. All we want is to encourage the youth of today towards positive nation building and overall personality development by citing examples of real super heroes."

The show is a visual treat with traditional folk dances like Gondhal, Koli Geet and more depicting the era and also showcases Weaponry art of Shivkalin era and its importance. Over the last decade and more several like-minded professionals like Doctors, Engineer, Teachers have joined hands with Saisha Foundation Mumbai, the apex organization which  presents the show.

The event will also see the launch of a new song presented at the onset of 'Marathi Bhasha Diwas' which falls on 27th February. Anil Nalawade has written and composed the song and it is sung by Ketan Patwardhan and Deepti Ambekar.

The foundation aims to take the illustrious life and battles of valour of the Maratha king not just in the country but across the globe. They have marked off this global journey recently by performing online for audiences in Australia and 11 other countries.