It Happened To Me

One evening I had the novel, Shiman Yogi, in my hands, and I had completed that novel but I was still in the trance of the novel. Shriman Yogi is the biography of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, one of the most secular kings born in India. 

No one can ever feel what Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and his entire team had to go through to build the foundation of Hindavi Swarajya. I could not sleep that night, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj took his last breath at the forts of Raigad fort, and at the same time, Mughal emperor Aurangzeb was preparing his campaign in Deccan, the same Deccan where Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj crafted his idea of Hindavi Swarajya (The Deccan Plateau is a large plateau that covers most of South India. It is triangular, surrounded by three mountain ranges. It extends over eight Indian states (principally, Telangana, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu). 

For the world, Deccan was just another place on Earth, but for the people living in and near Maharashtra, Deccan was not less than heaven. The Deccan was released from the clutches of the Mughals and Adil Shahis regime by the brave Mavals (Soldiers and generals in the army of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj). 

Now, who would lead the empire against such a mighty enemy, and how did Maratha empire grows so huge. These thoughts did not let me stay still……

I had not even recovered from the expenses of Diwali, and that day was month-end when our budget is already too tight. 

 

कोशिश बहुत की तुझे भूलने की पर ये दिल है कि तुझे भूलता नहीं ।।

मिले बहुत मुझे चाहने वाले पर ये दिल तुझसे हटता नहीं ।

अब तू ही बता क्या करू इस दिल का जो है कि मानता नहीं ।

Finally, I brought the Novel Shambhaji by Vishwas Patil, the novel is a biography of Chhatrapati Shambhaji Maharaj, eldest son of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. 

While reading the novel, I always had the urge to read more. The more I read about his life and his campaign, the more I understood his way of thinking. I would eat my dinner quickly and even made excuses to avoid any plans with my office friends so that I could read more about him, whenever I got time in my office, I would read the novel. 

The  Murad-Jangira fort was first built by a Konkan king named Patil raja, he build the fort with wood. He worked for the Mughals, and soon he understood the strategic importance of this fort, and he started an independent kingdom of himself. The Mughals send general Adill Shah, to teach Patil raja a lesson. His repeated attempts to capture the fort by force did not work, he captured the fort by sending his troops inside as merchants. 

Soon he upgraded the forts by building strong stone walls. There was something very unique about the Murud-Jangira fort, the was never captured by any king in history. The Mughals kings, Rajputs kings, Portuguese and even the English soldiers tried their best to capture the fort, but all in vain. Even Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj tried three times to capture that fort, but he was defeated.

One morning Adil Shah-II was sleeping peacefully in the fort, he woke up with a loud sound of cannons firing when he saw through his window, a sudden cold ran through his spine, as Chhatrapati Sambhajji Maharaj had sighed their fort. Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj was on the second row of the ships, his focused gaze and calm face during a siege battle was enough for his enemies to identity him. From the rear of the front gate, the cannons on the ships were bombarding on the walls to make a way into the fort, and the soldiers were trying hard to enter the fort through ladder and ropes.

On one movement victory seemed certain since the constant bombarding had made a deep crack on one of the walls…….

‘Tring…..Tring……’ by desk landline rang, it was a client who needed some technical help about one of our company product. 

I was so engrossed in my novel, I felt as if I was beside Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj in all of his campaigns, joys and sadness. I hardly responded to my WhatsApp messages, would not come out of my room and even force myself to sleep at night.  One day I broke my own record, I read 180 pages in one day, but still, it was not enough for me, there was always an urge about what would happen next.

After completing that novel within 8 days, and that was my other record, once I had a dream about the campaigns of Sambhaji Maraj, in that dream, we were making battle strategies, talking with common people of Hindavi Swaraj, there were armies, battles, horses everywhere. 

I could feel the change inside me as if Chhatrapati Sambhai Maharaj was within me, he was the voice inside of me, he had become a part of me. My thinking changed, instead of thinking about what Rohil would think in some situation, I started thinking about how Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj would think and act in a similar situation. His ideology has changed me in a good way.

Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj followed his father’s ideology, he was also one of the most secular kings. 

The feeling of achieving great heights and contributing to the betterment of society are multiplied by ten times after reading this novel.

Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj fought for the truth and betterment of society, I will never forget his teaching on courage, unity and how to face your challenges bravely. 

Yes, it happened to me……..

Rohil Zalke

Nagpur