Panipat

Panipat

Granthali  has ‘firte granthalya’ ie moving bookshop on wheels and on one weekday while driving to the office, I advised my driver to stop suddenly.I hopped out of the car ,entered the van and quickly purchased around 7 books paying  in cash.

One was ‘Aryanak’ translated from Bengali,other was ‘Chakwa chandana-Ek Vanopanishad’ by Maruti Chitampalli  and yet the third was ‘Panipat’ by vishwas Patil.The First two were completed  in gusto being a nature lover.The third  a 553 pages treatise  had to wait for an year as I am not being an avid student of history.As history has challenged my memory with places ,names and dates and I have been humbled by these memorabilia time and again.

Panipat  is a Kaadambari or a Novel based on the great Maratha War fought in 1761 at Panipat a town and a Mughal stronghold 80 kms North of Delhi .This was not the only war fought here but earlier two had been fought at the same place.The first in 1526 between Babar and Sultan Ibrahim Lodi who was killed in the Battle leading to downfall of Delhi sultans and establishment of Mughals in India.The Second was between Akbarson of Babar and Hemu in 1756 .The third was between between Marathas led by Sadashiv Bhaurao and Forces of Afgan Ahmedshah Durrani .The book is acknowledged as one of the largest selling Marathi novel of half century between 1947 to 1997.Published on 20^th October 1988,it was translated in Hindi by Bharatiya Gyanpeeth foundation.The novel also  won best Indian literature award in Kolkata ,Nathmadhav Puraskar in Goa and priyadarshini Award in Mumbai.The foreword dated on 23-09-90 is by the doyen of Marathi literature ,the great poet Vi Va Shirwadkar or Kusumagraj,who has called it a magnum opus with a very large ambit .It is believed that Vishwas Patil  refered around 110 references out of which 46 are from English .Around 36 articles from Marathi tabloids and periodicals.61 Books and archives with 2 Hindi History books.It stands illustrated by 8 maps drawn by noted historian Prof T.S.Sejwalkar

The Novel is actually a clever synthesis of Book of History and a highly readable nonfiction creation. It first traces the war between Najib and Scindias and later the grand march of 70,000 maratha infantry and horsemen northwards to check Najib.The Marathas  after the victory at Kunjpura ,gain entry into the Panipat town north of Delhi and become resident caretakers. They are now sourrounded by 1,20,000 combined Afgan and Muslim shia soldiers who cutoff all their rations inflicting malnutrition and frustration.They cut off the communication between the forces of Bhaurao and Nanasaheb Peshwa in Pune .At last brave heart Bhaurao with the help of Ibrahim Gardi who has a  strong firepower acquired by the Guns gained from the Portuguese launches an offensive with famished soldiers with scindias and Holkars forced to desert the forces due to loss of Vishwasrao and Shamsherbahadur. Bhaurao who is a capable warrior ultimately gets onto the  battlefields due to loss of younger kin to become martyred  on the battlefield.

This conflict at Panipat is not a battle .It was a war fought between Maratha Generals of diverse regions and the Northern Muslim forces collected together due to contemporary regional politics with Delhi as a centre.The war gave a setback to the Maratha supremacy and which was avenged eventually by Madhavrao Peshwa.Nanasaheb later moves northwards due to lack of information and when informed of the loss laments the death of his cousin and succumbs to slow death by disease and depression.It is said that the Marathas lost nearly 35,000 people on the battlefield amounting to 10 people from each town or village.The book narrates the valiant martyrdom of Jankoji shinde and many Marathas compatriots in and around Delhi including of Ibrahim Gardi who remains faithful to the Marathas.The book at the end has a glossary of 26 topics where the author summarizes the process of collecting information and his trips to Panipat.It is here that he hears of a Ballad sung by local jogis with lyrics of the story of Bhau in form of a conversation between his mother who fears the Afgan and Bhau who assures that he will return to Pune with victory.The author  also traces a place called Bhaupur and a small fortress called ‘Bhau ka Killa’ .History portrays Bhau as a egoistic and megalomaniac  leader ,but the author refutes these charges and salutes the administrative and war tactics of Bhau.It is the ultimate impatience of the Holkars and scindias that led to the break in the formation as decided before the aggression the chief deciding to do away with guerilla strategy with a regular strategy as the battle field happens to be plains of Yamuna river and not hills and valleys.

The  dance of desolation and death and the massive bloodshed gives the reader goose skin and fills him with remorse.The entire novel explains the circumstances of the battle including the fall of a huge meteor causing the land to vibrate. It details the devastation of the morale of the forces and the bold decision to do or die in face of being vanquished by famine and destruction.Marathi readers are forced to sit on the edge of their seats making them aware of the Maratha ambitions and the backstabbing and double crossing ,deceit by their own brethren and advocates in the court of northern kings. It also describes the capacity of durrani and his men and their perseverance to cross the Yamuna river to gain vantage ground to rally forces around the city of Panipat.

In the end the reader comes to a conclusion that defeat comes to those who choose to be negligent of realities and who play the card of emotions and hatred and who take things for granted and who remain closeted in vengeance and ignorance. Bhaurao undertakes the military feat under duress and compulsion.Earlier defeats have blinded them with anger and earlier victories brought about by Bajirao and Holkars have heightened their own expectation and military desires.Their calculations and presumptions prove erroneous and force defeat due to blind faith and assumptions.

The novel is a ‘Must Read’ for Maratha Politicians who seek power in Delhi.The entire exercise is a learning process and has plenty of carry home messages. Ample lessons are to be learnt by the contemporary stalwarts in Maharashtra polity. The role of the Brahmins and the limited role of religion in assuming power in north breaking a lobby of the combine north-south supremacy have to be systematically developed with a common agenda. And the agenda can only be Language and Unity.

Panipat has bared the deficiencies in Maratha wisdom and limitation of regional politics in federal India.It is ultimately the win of the virtuous over less virtuous and never a win of good over bad or true over false or strong over weak.It is a win of less over lesser. It is a win of lesser wise over more lesser wise.It is never like the war of Kurukshetra as future wars will be fought in kaliyug where more sinners will loose at the hands of less sinners. Panipat thus forewarns and throws dreams out of the window lock stock and barrel.