Mumbai: The renowned Shivaji Natya Mandir in Dadar has been ordered to be renamed as “Shri Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Natya Mandir.” This order comes after the main petitioner in the case, Ravindra Jadhav Kotapkar, pleaded with the Charity Commissioner to change the name to a more respectable one. However, the authorities initially failed to add the prefix “Shree” to the name. As per the orders of the Charity Commissioner, the concerned authorities have now agreed to add the prefix “Shri” along with the name of the Maratha king.

“The previous name led to a single-name reference to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, which was considered inappropriate. Hence, we approached the Charity Commissioner regarding this issue, and our campaign was ultimately successful,” Jadhav said while speaking to FPJ.

The Shri Chhatrapati Shivaji Smarak Mandal Trust, Mumbai, was established on December 31, 1943. This trust operates the Shivaji Natya Mandir in Dadar West, a historic theater that has nurtured many theater artists and hosted eminent personalities from politics, society, arts, and journalism. However, for years, the issue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj being referred to in a singular manner due to the venue’s name had gone unnoticed.

Recently, the theater underwent renovation and was reopened, but the name remained unchanged. Concerned about the continued use of the single-name reference, journalist Ravindra Babaji Jadhav Ravi Kotapkar, along with his associate Deepak Gheavde, formally requested the theater’s trustees to change the name on January 14, 2023. They also wrote to the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister, and opposition leaders but received no response.

After repeated neglect of the issue, Jadhav and another activist filed a formal complaint with the Charity Commissioner’s Office on July 22, 2024. The Charity Commissioner subsequently ordered the name change. The renaming was officially implemented on Shiv Jayanti, celebrated as the king’s birthday.