Sant Tukaram (Sant Tukārām), also known as Saint Tukaram, is a 1936 Marathi film, produced by Prabhat Film Company, based on the life of Tukaram (1608–50), a prominent saint and spiritual poet of the Bhakti Movement in Maharashtra, India. The film was directed by Vishnupant Govind Damle and Sheikh Fattelal and it featured Vishnupant Pagnis in the lead role of the saint Tukaram which was of a biopic genre.  

Saint Tukaram is most known for his Marathi Abangas (dohas), which are a rich inheritance of Gatha – devotional poetry, and he was crucial for laying the groundwork for Maratha nationalism. He emphasized community-based worship through spiritual melodies known as Kirtans. During the era of Tukaram in the 16^th century caste played havoc in society. Saint Tukaram trained the masses through his Abhangas that Vedas and Shastras say that for offering service to God, caste does not matter. Caste is inconsequential.

Shivaji Maharaj – the Great Maratha Warrior looked up to Saint Tukaram as one of his spiritual Gurus; Shivaji Maharaj offered him diamonds and opals, but they were refused by Tukaram because he felt they would become an impediment to his devotion. Tukaram’s writings had widespread influence on Marathi language, culture, literature, and spirituality. Tukaram was a devotee of Vithoba (Vitthala), an avatar of God Vishnu also called Krishna.

We often say that an actor lives a role till he shoots for the movie. An actor gets into the skin of the protagonist. After the movie, actors come out of the role and move on to another role. But, Vishnupant Pagnis who played the role of Tukaram couldn’t pull out himself from the role of Tukaram. He used to be dressed as Tukaram. The actor had to sing Abhangas of Tukaram because those days the actors had to sing also for the role they played. Vishnupant Pagnis was a good singer too. Therefore, Abhangas sung by him in the movie became popular among the audience.

This movie was technically the best movie of that time. To give an example, in the last scene, Tukaram’s corporeal visit to Vaikuntha (abode of Lord Vishnu), the Pushpak Vimana (aeroplane) comes from the sky to carry Saint Tukaram. The design of that plane, the flight of that plane spreading its wings towards Vaikuntha, all these minute details were well shown in the movie. Seeing the Pushpak vimana, mannerisms and looks and Tukaram’s dialect were very shot – they almost looked real. Viewers would cry in the cinema hall. Also, in the scene of Tukaram’s meeting with Chatrapati Shivaji, the viewers would get stimulated and stunned.

Here comes the dilemma: Vishnupant couldn’t come out the role, he got so rooted in the role that he started living the life of Tukaram. He truly was a soulful actor. He created a different world out of it. The movie ‘Sant Tukaram’ was showered with praise. But Vishnupant Paganis, the actor who made this movie reach the peak of popularity, was nowhere in all this. The movie also made a lot of money at the box office. As per the practice of those days, the producers went to meet Vishnupant Paganis to pay his honorarium. Due to his role as Saint Tukaram, Vishnupant was respectfully called ‘Maharaj’ by all. “Maharaj, please take your remuneration” said the producer, placing the wallet in front of him. Vishnupant refused to accept the honorarium with a calm smile. The makers were confused. They coaxed him to accept the honorarium stating that it was a handsome amount. But Vishnupant Pagnis said “The role of Tukaram Maharaj, who lived a selfless life all his life, made me immortal, how can I accept remuneration for that role? This role has given me a lot beyond the remuneration. So I will not accept the honorarium.” The producers couldn’t say anything further; they respected the sentiments of Vishnupant and left.

The original photograph of Saint Tukaram Maharaj is not available anywhere today. But the photo of the role of Tukaram played by Vishnupant Paganis was and is worshiped with devotion in every household. Vishnupant continued till the end in the guise of Saint Tukaram, the role that people showered love on. It was as if the personality of Saint Tukaram was absorbed in him.

Vishnupant Pagnis had also acted in movies like ‘Sant Tulsidas’, ‘Narsi Bhagat’, ‘Mahatma Vidur’ etc. He had also sung the song ‘Vande Mataram’.  But, after Sant Tukaram, he put a full stop to his career. He died in 1943.

There are some historical evidences that the founder of the Maratha Empire Chhatrapati Shivaji first started celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi with great enthusiasm since Lord Ganesha was the Kuladevata (family god) of the Peshwas. It seems the festival used to be publicly celebrated in Pune during Shivaji Maharaja’s era between AD 1630–1680 by the emperor   for  gathering and uniting his people for freedom from Mugals.

The Peshwas who inherited administration of the Maratha Empire from 1718 until its end in 1818 encouraged the celebrations in their capital, Pune, since Ganesha was their family deity (Kuladevata). With the fall of the Peshwas, the Ganesha festival lost state patronage and became a private family celebration in Maharashtra. People celebrated Ganesh festivals in their homes. It was revived by Indian freedom fighter and social reformer Lokmanya Tilak almost 200 hundred years later, after Peshwas.

Tilak was inspired by Chatrapati Shivaji, he also used the occasion to stimulate and motivate the people of Maharashtra for freedom against the British. The 1857 revolt against Britishers was very successful in communicating to struggling Indians the message of independence. Freedom fighters were looking at ways and means to take the movement forward. During 1870s to 1890’s British passed numerous orders to prohibit public gathering of Indians preventing more than 20 people from gathering. The only exception to this was Friday assemblies at the mosque, allowed under pressure from Muslim quarters to allow for Namaz.

Lokmanya Tilak who was regarded as the Great rebellion and was regarded as ‘father of Indian unrest’ was seeking ways to create a platform to unite people. He selected Ganesha Chaturthi as the medium of religious significance to get the required exception to the ordinance and allow public gatherings. Like the Muslims used to get for their Friday Namaz. Lord Ganesha was particularly selected because HE is the only deity who is worshipped by all sects in the Hindu society among the Bramhins and non Bramhins, and various sub castes of internally divided Hinduism. In 1892 Lokmanya Tilak’s publication Kesari carried out announcements of the cultural festival and he erected Ganesha idol and started immersion 10 days later. His followers’ and squad put hoardings across Mumbai and Pune to gather people and freedom fighters would speak at these gatherings. In fact, Ganesh Chaurthi festival meant everything to the people because their freedom was dependent on it. This is how Lord Ganesha played an important role in uniting people for the freedom fight of the country, and Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated with full fan fare year after year, even today.

Ganesh Chaturthi was the platform to induce the patriotism among people of Maharashtra. Tilak was able to bring a feeling of unity among the masses against the British through the festive zeal as opposed to a political gathering that the British would not allow. The festival was first celebrated in Mumbai city in Keshavji Naik Chawl Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal, which is the first and oldest mandal that came into being at Girgaum, since 1893.

Within a decade, the spirit of the festival spread like wildfire with more and more mandals coming up in small pockets at Dadar, Parel and Girgaum. People from different religions finally had 10 days to interact with each other without the nosy Britishers obstructing their meetings. Those days between 1940 to 1950 independence and nationalism became central theme of Ganesh festival. While the festival rituals continued to be simple, the pandal themes were related to the first and Second World War which showed a sign of a progressive society.

A mention needs to be made here that an idol of Lord Ganesha was found near the house of Vinayak Thakar, in Kasba Peth, Pune who used to reside close to the residence of Masaheb Jijabai Bhosale, mother of Shivaji Maharaj. The temple was built by Shivaji Maharaj and his mother in the year 1639. Therefore during the immersion process at the end of the 10th day, Shri Kasba Ganapati leads the immersion process. Only after the idol from this mandal is immersed can the other mandals begin theirs.

Hats off to the visionaries Shivaji Maharaj and Bal Gangadhar Tilak who created patriotic spirits in the society during the Ganesh Festival, this could be the reason why Lord Ganesha is more revered by people in Maharashtra, India.