Full name of Peshwa Bajirao I
is - Bajirao Ballal (Balaji) Bhat. He is also known as Thorale (Marathi for
'elder') Bajirao and with the nickname 'Rau' in Marathi. He lived from 18
August 1700 to 28 April 1740 and changed India's history forever.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali's movie
'Bajirao Mastani' is based on a Marathi Novel "Rau" authored by N.S.
Inamdar which is a fictional story of love and relationship between Bajirao and
his second wife Mastani. I shall watch this movie in a few days but in general
I don't like fictitious stories written about historical figures.
Writers would pick a
historical character for their fictitious novels because of many reasons. E.g.
because of laziness (re-using historical setting saves lot of time), lack of
courage (why take risk to create a new character when you can pick a popular
one from the past), due to ego (writers feel like Lord Brahma, the Creator,
when they write a book), or due to personal and mischievous reasons (we all
have personal likes, dislikes and infatuations with historical figures). Above
all, writing about a historical figure gives a bright chance to become part of
history too. Any article written about the figure would include at least one
line about the writer or filmmaker - "XYZ is a Hindi Bollywood film based
on...". I think this must be most tempting to the seekers of fame.
On the other hand, even if
they distort history (a fact every viewer knows these days except kids perhaps)
they bring back historical figures into 'relevance'. Otherwise I or you won't
be remembering Bajirao Peshwa these days. Due to this fact alone, I support
even fictitious adaptations of historical figures or events. But as a society,
we should care for real facts too. E.g. if one does not try to read anything
from recorded history about a historical figure but only watches a fictitious
epic movie, one is going to be misled.
When you read the real life
story of Bajiwao and Mastani, you would realize that it is an epic in itself. I
am not going to reveal it here but at the click of a button you can read about
it on the net.
Btw, do you know that Peshwa
Bajirao I - who is subject of soon-to-launch movie Bajirao Mastani, lived only
for less than 40 years?
Young Bajirao was very popular
among soldiers and his name was always taken with great honor. Chhatrapati
Shahu Maharaj (grandson of Chhatrapati Shivaji) appointed him as a Peshwa at a
young age of only 20 years! Bajirwao fought over 41 major battles in his life
and lost none! When Bajirao plundered Mughal controlled Delhi, the Mughal
emperor had to hide to save himself.
Bajirao Peshwa was en route to
Delhi with one lakh troops under his command near the city of Indore when he
suffered from a sudden very high fever. I think in those days there were
limited medical facilities. Bajirao Peshwa died on 28 April 1740, at an age of
only 39. Still, for his immense contribution he is considered one of the chief
architects of the great Maratha Empire!
One of the signature landmarks
of Pune is Shaniwar Wada. Pune was the Capital City of the great Maratha Empire
which ruled most of India for long. This fort was the seat of the Peshwa
rulers. It was built by Peshwa Bajirao I. Most people visiting Pune for first
time do make it a point to visit it. Today mainly the walls of the fort are
remaining and the foundation of the palace inside it. The main palace and
several buildings inside it were made of teak wood and got destroyed by a
massive fire in year 1828 (legends tell that the British burned it).
Just in front of Shaniwar Wada
stands a statue of Shrimant Bajirao Peshwa. It seems as if the Great Peshwa is
still protecting his fort!
Also read: Why Bajirao is
India's greatest cavalry general:
http://www.rediff.com/news/column/why-bajirao-is-indias-greatest-cavalry-general/20151223.htm
- Rahul
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