Kolhapur: Citizens are all geared up to celebrate the birth anniversary of the legendary king and social reformer Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj on Monday.Over 70 talims and mandals from the city and surrounding areas have decided to celebrate Shahu Jayanti in a grand manner and a rally will be held from Mirajkar Tikati.Traditional performances will be the rally's main attraction, along with a 'Dhol Tasha' performance. The start of the rally will take place in the presence of mayor Hasina Faras.The decorations will be based on the life of Shahu Maharaj will be displayed throughout the rally. The rally will pass through areas such as the civic body building, Dasara chowk, Bindu chowk and culminate at Shivaji chowk. For the first time, all mandals have come together to celebrate Shahu Maharaj's birth anniversary. "Shahu Maharaj fought for social justice and carried out extensive development work throughout his life. Considering his contribution towards social justive, people from all communities will be participating in the rally," Baba Mahadik, a rally organiser, said.The archaeology department has organised a function at the Shahu Birth Place Memorial in presence of Shahu Chhatrapati on Monday morning.Several organisations are conferring awards to people that have contributed towards social justice. For instance, city-based Parivartan Foundation, a progressive activists group will felicitate the people from various fields, right from social activism to the industrial sector.In the evening, the Shahu Memorial Trust will present the Shahu Puraskar for 2017-18 to renowned scientist and Padmashree awardee Raghunath Mashelkar. Shahu Chhatrapati will present the award in presence of revenue minister Chandrakant Patil. It is for the first time, that a person from the science community will receive the prestigious award.

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