The history
of the Mughals and the Marathas has always been a subject of personal
fascination for me. Right from the time our school teachers taught us about
Akbar, Chhatrapati Shivaji, I knew that there would be many other less known
heroes during these dynasties.
And then
came Sanjay Leela Bhansali who wished to make a film on Bajirao Mastani. For a
decade, the idea remained just an idea, before finally being converted into a
beautiful celluloid experience in 2015.
The best
part about “THE PESHWA” is that debutante author Ram Sivasankaran gives you an
indepth glimpse into what happened before Mastani appeared. Infact, the book
ends with Mastani’s appearance. I had always wondered about how Bajirao Bhat
became “THE PESHWA BAJIRAO”, and Ram does a perfect job in responding to my
doubts.
PLOT
Set in the
18th century, the novel describes the rivalry between the powerful
Mughal empire and the headstrong Maratha empire.
Things are
set into motion when the Nizam Ul Mulk of the Mughal empire plans to kill the
peshwa of the Maratha dynasty – Balaji Vishvanath Bhat. However, Bhat foils the
much ambitious plan of the Nizam. However, little does he know that the Nizam
would avenge his defeat in a much deadlier manner that anyone would have
expected.
The death of
the peshwa due to an illness results in the throning of young “boy” Bajirao
Bhat as the new Peshwa. However things aren’t that easy. He has to prove that
he is a chip off the old block, at the same time wage against all the
conspiracies occurring within his own kingdom, before finally coming face to
face to the Nizam.
WRITING & CONTENT
The book
shows that tremendous amount of research has been done. Ram’s writing and
command over language is brilliant. His English is flawless. The language is
not as simple as the one we find in those romcom Indian novels of today, and
that is such a welcome change. It only enhances the seriousness of the plot.
It was a
lovely experience knowing the characters of Bajirao, Kashibai and the others in
such depth.
POSITIVES
The best
thing about the novel is its lovely characterizations. Be it Balaji Vishwanath
Bhat, the Bajirao, Kashibai or the
characters of Bajirao’s friends Holkar, Scindia, or the characters of the
antagonists Dabhade and the Nizam – every character is sketched brilliantly.
Here is a
plot where the protagonists and the antagonists receive equal weightage. Be it
the Nizam’s flashback or Dabhade’s post war portions with his family, they all
leave a lasting impression on you.
Kashibai’s
character is lovely. We feel that longing, fear she feels for her husband when
he is at war.
The pace of
the book is another plus point. It is tightly edited, with no unnecessary sub
plots or boring dialogues. Infact, the way the character of the Maratha baby
brought up by a Mughal soldier is developed, it only build up the suspense in
an already gripping novel.
Thirdly, the
entire strategical plots during the Bhopal attack are wonderfully planned.
Fourthly,
the book ends at the right point. In a two book series, it is always important
to make sure the readers remain eager for the second concluding book. With the
introduction of Mastani’s character on the last page, we only wish to read soon
about the much talked story of Bajirao Mastani.
NEGATIVES
I couldn’t find
any loopholes or any negative points in the book. Only, the print in the book
could have been slightly bigger.
OVERALL, the novel “THE PESHWA – THE LION AND
THE STALLION” is one of the finest fictional novels on history in recent times.
Author Ram Sivasankaran is a brilliant author, and he deserves all the credit
for this thouroughly researched, engaging and flawless debut novel.
I am eagerly
looking forward to the concluding part.
P.S – I
received a copy from Writersmelon.com in exchange of an honest and unbiased
review.
Comments
Post a Comment