PREFACE
Raja Shivachhatrapati as a book has served millions of Marathi people in telling them the life-story of the biggest inspirational character in our history. BM Purandare, the author of this book felt there was nothing in the book, that can be called his own, and this was not a false pretence of humility. The book was an amalgamation of small stories, heard by him bit-by-bit, from saints, past scholars, folk artists, in households, and fields of Maharashtra. The whole life of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is pure gold.
Purandare started to write this biography sixty years ago. The credit for getting him to start writing this biography goes to his family Purohit Vasudev Kavi, whom he reverently calls Kavi Guruji.
He wrote the initial first ten-twelve chapters in an analytical fashion. He had discussed various historical evidences, the differences of opinions amongst various other biographers, etc. based on his capability. In short, he felt he was writing the book through an acquired pretence of scholastic method. Around the same time, 1950-51, a periodical Ekta started getting published in Pune. Even before its first edition was printed, it had received more than fifteen thousand subscriptions from all over Maharashtra. Once the editor of this magazine Ekta approached Purandare, and told him to write one article each for all the future issues. So, he gave them seven-eight chapters of this scholastic biography he had completed so far. At that time, Ekta never published the author’s names with the articles, which he felt would be apt.
The biography started getting published in a series in Ekta. Every month, he used to feel extremely curious about the reaction of his readers. But, even after first six months of six articles, the editor’s office did not share a single feedback to the series. It almost seemed as if there was no curiosity about the series in anybody else except himself. So then, after six months, he met with the editor, and asked them to provide at least their editorial feedback.
On this the editor responded, even they weren’t reading his articles. They had full faith in the fact that if Purandare had written it, it must be print-worthy.
Jokes apart, this incident got him thinking seriously. If nobody was reading this never-before epic biography of Shivaji Maharaj, then he considered it his biggest failure. He kept thinking of ways to improve the biography for four months. Finally, he gave them to his Kavi Guruji for a review, telling him nobody seemed to be reading it from Ekta.
Kavi Guruji read the entire set slowly, part-by-part every day, and told him that it was a laborious read. What he had written was possibly the best intellectual exercise for him, but he felt it did seem to lack both scholarship as well as elegance. They were bare historical facts, that too possibly. Guruji told him to keep writing, but add beauty. Even a difficult subject could be made to seem easy and beautiful. Thus, he asked him to write the story again. He also gave him an example of Saint Dnyaneshwar, who had explained the philosophy of the Upanishads in such easy and beautiful terms seven hundred years ago.
Purandare felt like someone had held a mirror under the sun, and was flashing the reflected light into his eyes. He took inspiration from Dnyaneshwari. And slowly realised that the biography had to be truthful, but easy to understand, and decorated in beautiful language, as per his own capability. It seemed possible. He kept remembering all the folk songs of old Shahirs (bards) that he had read, listened to. All those artists like Shahir Naniwadekar, Khadilkar, Aagindas, Piraji Sarnaik, Yamaji and many others started singing, performing in front of his eyes. Spiritual storytellers like Piloba Faltankar, Kashikar Bua, Gadge Maharaj, Dr Dattopant Patwardhan Bua, Prof Sonumama Dandekar, Gayabai Manmadkar, Kolhatkar Bua, and so many others kept raising their prayers around him. Even folk Tamasha artists like Patthe Bapurao, Kausalyabai Kopargaonkar, Vithabai Narayangaonkar, Bhau Mang, and so many other exponents, kept telling him the folk songs they knew, kept singing them for him. He felt almost as if all the folk artists of Maharashtra had gathered around him and told him to write, sing, dance, and they were all with him. He had finally found a way to rewrite the biography. He felt like all the saints of Maharashtra like Dnyaneshwar Mauli (Mother, as he is called by his devotees), Tukaram Maharaj, Shri Samarth, Shri Namdeo, Shri Goroba (Kumbhar), Shri Savta (Mali), Shri (Ek) Nath, Muktai, Janai, Soyarai, Bahinai, they all joined his bandwagon. He himself had spent his whole life in folk arts and literature. He felt that the new work he had started must also be couched in the same.
He sought blessings from Sant Dnyaneshwar in Alandi, Tukaram Maharaj in Dehu, and Shivaji Maharaj himself at Raigad. And after this, he felt like all the folk artists of Maharashtra – Shahirs (bards), Gondhalis, Puranik (Purana-storytellers), Kirtankars, Bharudis, Chitrakathis, Bahurupis, Tamasgirs, Vaghya Murali, Vasudev, Warkaris, Potraj, Kudmude Joshi, Bull owners, Darveshis, Dombaris etc. started sitting with him while writing the story. He went on writing his king’s narrative. And all these friends kept coming to him uninvited. While writing the book, he had worn cowrie-shells of Tulja-Bhavani as an amulet.
He felt, he wrote the biography in the Bakhar style of old Maharashtrian storytellers. Reviewers said that the biography was written in Maharashtra Rasa (a new one, different from the nine existing Rasas).
I had myself read Shivaji Maharaj’s life-story numerous times earlier through the biographies written by numerous other authors. However, when I read Purandare’s version, I could actually visualise a lot of the incidents as they would have happened in history. This is probably what is the pinnacle of history writing, being able to give your readers an immersive experience. I’m making this effort to translate the original Marathi version to English, so that my non-Marathi friends, readers can also experience the story first-hand. All rights of the outcome, I lay at the feet of my guru – BM Purandare.
To be continued…
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