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On account of his deep knowledge of
classical Manipuri dance, Govardhan Panchal started writing in Gujarati
on Manipuri dance and completed it in 1949. It was published in the same
year. It was the first book in Gujarati on dance and, in particular, on
Manipuri dance. Later on it was also published in English by Nalanda
Publications. (Dr. Sunil Kothari in ‘Remembering Govardhan Panchal’, e-rang issue 103) |
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King Sahaji of Thanjavur (1684 and 1712),
the second Maratha king, ascended the throne at the age of 13. He was a
great scholar and patron of arts and literature. His versatility
extended in both sangita and sahitya. His patronage was so great that he
was called the “Abhinava Bhoja.” Sahaji also created a colony in
Tiruvisanallur near Kumbakonam to accommodate 45 musicians and writers
from all over the South. He donated the village and renamed it as
‘Saharajapuram’ or ‘Sahajirajapuram.’ (‘On a king’s opus’ by Lakshmi Venkatraman, The Hindu Fri review, Nov 14, 2014) |
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King Sahaji of Thanjavur’s linguistic skills can be seen in his short
work, ‘Pancha Bhasha Vilasa Nataka.’ He authored a number of works
across genres - drama, poetry, Prabandha, darus, padams and technical
treatises like Raga Lakshana. He composed Pada sahityas, more than 500
in Marathi and Telugu. There are around 20 Telugu dance-dramas, 22 in
Marathi, three in Hindi and one each in Tamizh and Sanskrit. We find the
name of his family deity, ‘Tyagesa’ in many of his padams, 208 in
number, all preserved in the Thanjavur Sarasvati Mahal Library. (‘On a king’s opus’ by Lakshmi Venkatraman, The Hindu Friday review, Nov 14, 2014) |
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