The
novel, procured more out of curiosity than anything else, hooked me to itself
from the very first chapter. I hardly review books. However, I love to share my
thoughts on some that leave an impact on me in some way. Medha Bhaskaran’s
historical novel on Chatrapati Shivaji – the warrior king is one such. However,
my initial interest in the book was due to a couple of reasons unrelated to the
novel:
My
dad, a retired infantry man, had written a paper on military strategy when he
was in service. He had titled it: “The
FourStroke Offensive.” He was proud of it and believed that the paper on
war – strategy was one of his best. He had shared the highlights with me and
his views had somehow stayed with me. So basically, it was the common -
sounding title that attracted me to Medha Bhaskaran’s novel, at first. Combined
with the fact that it was on Raja Shivaji --the great Indian hero--whose tales
of patriotism, valour and sharp – wit always managed to evoke a mix of
admiration and awe in me during my childhood. Moreover, Medha and I share the
same publisher and I was invited to her book launch event. Meeting the author
in – person had been a pleasurable experience. But once I started reading the
story, I knew I had to write about it. More so because it would give me a chance
to revisit and refresh my understanding of the life and times of the great
Maratha King; one of the greatest patriots and legendary figures of India.
Coming
to the Novel –
Shivaji’s
tremendous rise from a little known and harmless young jagirdar to being perceived as a rebel; a threat to the Mughal Empire
and finally emerging as a hero (and a great King) inspiring Marathas and other Hindus in the country with his idea of swaraj, acute
sense of justice, bravery and able administration is beautifully depicted in
the first part of the Trilogy. I learnt more about the great warrior king from
this book than from the history books that I’ve read during my school days. And
in the most enjoyable way. Most of us have heard tales of how he outwitted the able but cruel Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb and his men. But here is a storybook that shows more:
his anguish on not being able to be with his favourite wife on her
death bed, his sharp and foresighted approach and excellent skills as a
warrior, his devotion to his mother, his compassion for the peasants and weaker
section of society, his deep respect for women even if they were mothers or wives
of the enemy, his heart – felt concern and love for his soldiers and his total determination
to achieve swaraj or freedom for his people.
The
book does not focus on Shivaji alone. It delves deeper and tries to bring out
Aurangzeb’s side of the story too. Questions like – Why he acted in the manner the way he did towards his brothers and father? What role his maternal uncle played in
his life? How did he use his religion to his advantage? His love for his first
wife and his distrust of practically everyone in his service barring a few; all have
been well - captured and described. It also expertly serves the reader with
accounts of life of the normal people in Seventeenth century India. Especially
the women and children and their helpless condition. They were treated as mere “things” that exchanged hands for most ridiculous of reasons. Sometimes gifted to the winning side of a battle in order to please or placate them. In
one of the scenes the author has poignantly described the state of slave girls –
Afzal Khan, the much – feared general of Adil Shahi, in a rage calls for one of
his youngest slave girls only to kill her brutally on a whim. Over the next few days he goes on killing all the seventy – seven of
his virgin slave girls in the same manner. Just because he had to leave them behind and did not want
anyone else to touch or enjoy his spoils of war.
However,
the author has excelled in depicting the war scenes. From the planning and
preparation to the actual battle scenes; it’s a master stroke. I especially enjoyed the
last few chapters which showed how the most - feared general of Adil Shahi, a
ruthless Afzal Khan, was led into a trap by the clever planning of Shivaji and his
trusted salahkars and other leading
men of his army and finally killed.
The
other good thing about the novel is that despite it being a difficult
subject/genre it’s written in a simple and engaging manner. Of course, there
were times when I had to look up the dictionary or internet for a particular ‘urdu’
or ‘farsi’ word or phrase. I also referred to the maps, helpfully provided by
the author, to get a clearer understanding of the various regions of seventeenth
century India. For this reason I slowed down several times or re – read certain
portions; especially while reading the war scenes - including the planning and
war – preparedness of both sides. Minutest of attention was paid to describe
the topography, weather and kind of arms and ammunitions used in the various
battles fought by Shivaji and his army and at times that became confusing.
However, despite these little deviations or distractions I was hooked to it
till the very end and I look forward to part – II of the trilogy. My best wishes to the author.
#History #Shivaji #Novel #AuthorMedhaBhaskaran
Title:
Frontiers of Karma – The Counterstroke (Trilogy I)
Publisher:
Alchemy
Link:http://www.amazon.in/Frontiers-Karma-Counterstroke-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B00MSWQ3WC
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