History lovers dig into Pune’s past

Despite Pune being known as one of the most vibrant and fastest developing cities in India, history lovers still take pride in unravelling the city’s rich past.

Experts note that there is an increasing interest among Puneites and even those who have settled here a few years ago, to learn about the city’s history.

Large number of students and enthusiasts attend various talks and visit historic places in and around the city as part of study groups.

43-year-old Mandar Mukund Lawate (below), a noted history researcher and Modi script teacher, said, “The changing face of the city could not hamper the enthusiasm of history lovers, and educated professionals are keen to learn Modi, Urdu and
Persian.”

Even visits to various ancient landmarks in the city have become a popular activity among many college students, professionals and history lovers, Lawate observes.

Lawate, who competed his BA with history as a special subject, started pursuing his research on the history of Pune in 1999. His first article written on unknown Ganpatis in Pune was published in 2000 in a local Marathi daily which received a huge response from readers.

Also, the heritage walk by Aranyavaak, a group of history enthusiasts, is a big hit among Puneites as they visit Shaniwarwada, Parvati temple and other landmarks to know the history of these places.

“I learnt Modi script in 2003 at Pune Archives and Persian from history researcher Rajendra Joshi for four years,” he said. Speaking about the popularity of Modi among Puneites, Lawate said, “I have been teaching the Modi script at Bharat Itihas

Sanshodhak Mandal (BISM) since 2008 and have received a huge response from history lovers and enthusiasts.” The Modi script learning course is conducted for 16 days and the fee is Rs260.
Bhaswati Makarnad Soman (40), a homemaker who underwent Modi course at BISM in April last year, said, “After learning Modi, I researched on old Maharashtrian gold ornaments with the help of Modi documents.”

71-year-old Arvind Athavale who is an agriculturist by profession, says that it was his love for history that made him learn Modi.
Nikhil Paranjape (28), a software engineer with Synechron Technologies, said, “I usually go trekking and wanted to know the history of some forts but most of the historical documents are in Modi. So I decided to take up the Modi course.”

Nikhil is also learning Urdu from Lawate. Those interested can contact Mandar Lawate on 9823079087 or email him at lawate@gmail.com