Raghoba: The Assassination of Narayan Rao Peshwa

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This book primarily gives the account of the nine-month-long reign of Narayan rao Peshwa and its abrupt termination, the effects of which resounded across India with unprecedented consequences. Raghoba, or Raghunath rao, was the mover of the times and the book is thus aptly titled after him. For the reader, however, this is a standalone book that begins with what happened before. The narrative is supplemented by several illustrations and maps that will help understand the history of the time. Although the author shares some perspective of his own, it is generally believed that facts speak for themselves.

Narrative history remains the bedrock on which other forms of history are based. Moreover, Maratha history is at the heart of eighteenth-century Indian history. This book contains a wealth of information on events spread over a twenty-month-long period described in the book. If you need to know where the course of Indian history changed, one can find the turning points through the author's books so far, including this one.

With this, Dr Uday S. Kulkarni's eighth book on eighteenth century Indian history, the period up to 1775 will have been covered in considerable detail.

Raghoba: The Assassination of Narayan rao Peshwa is Dr Uday S. Kulkarni's eighth non-fiction book on the most important period in India's recent history; the eighteenth century. The present work takes the story forward.

Dr. Uday S. Kulkarni has authored several non-fiction books dealing with eighteenth century Indian history, namely, 'Solstice at Panipat', 'The Era of Bajirao', 'Bakhar of Panipat', 'The Extraordinary Epoch of Nanasaheb Peshwa', "The Maratha Century' and "The Mastery of Hindustan: Triumphs & Travails of Madhav rao Peshwa'. He has also authored a richly illustrated book based on the work of James Wales, who spent many years in western India in the 1790s, in 'James Wales: Artist & Antiquarian in the time of Peshwa Sawai Madhav rao'. Four of his books have been translated into Marathi by Vijay Bapaye.

Dr. Kulkarni is a trained Surgeon. He has served in the Indian Navy and proceeded on voluntary retirement in the rank of Surgeon Commander. He has received many awards for his work on Maratha and Indian history. He is an elected Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland and a recipient of the Shri Shivaji Raigad Puraskar, the Abasaheb Mujumdar award and the first Shivbhushan Ninad Bedekar Puraskar. Dr Kulkarni works and lives in Pune with his family.

This is not a story that will gladden the hearts of Maratha history aficionados.

The story begins in November 1772, with the death of Madhav rao Peshwa, a capable young man who rescued and resurrected an Empire, that could quite easily have dissipated in the aftermath of the loss at Panipat in 1761. In his eleven years at the helm of the Marathas, Peshwa Madhav rao struggled hard to heal and repair a damaged polity, a destroyed army and make up for the loss of the next generation of leaders. However, he had to face internal and external problems of a magnitude that none of his predecessor Peshwas had to face. One after other, he overcame them, by his own sterling leadership in war as well as in toning up of the administration. His personal involvement in every arm of Government is revealed in the documents of his time, many of which are still being revealed whenever researchers delve into the copious records that are still to be examined. Just this year, new information on the manner in which he examined accounts has emerged, the findings published in the Bharat Itihas Sanshodhak Mandal's quarterly magazine Volume 100.

When Madhav rao died, he had restored the prestige and the power of the Marathas. Yet, dying at the early age of twenty-seven, without a capable successor, he was troubled in his last days. The survival of the Empire was the main cause of anxiety for the Peshwa. His ambitious uncle Raghunath rao who had already tried to grasp power - was in his custody at the time. Reluctantly, he had to release him and beseech him to look after his brother; the seventeen-year-old Narayan rao, who was the Peshwa designate.

While he obtained one of the most pious oaths of his religion from his uncle and brought in his senior advisors to ensure the administration of his brother runs smoothly, he could not have died peacefully. His suspicions were not far off the mark. Raghunath rao - or Raghoba dada - did not take long to return to his old ways. He could not quite cap his ambition. Nor did Narayan rao have the wisdom and moderation to run affairs of the state with sagacity. A crisis was not far, and when it struck, it struck hard.

The years 1772 to mid-1775 is the period this book deals with. The significance of the year 1774, was in it being precisely a hundred years after Chhatrapati Shivaji was coronated and the de jure Maratha state founded. Empires do have shelf lives, whether on account of inefficient rulers or better replacements. The Maratha Empire, since its inception, had gone through many vicissitudes. The relatively early death of Chhatrapati Shivaji, the tragic end of his son Chhatrapati Sambhaji and the early death of Chhatrapati Rajaram. The divide in the kingdom after 1707, the internal wranglings among chiefs, the zenith of Baji rao's times followed quickly by his death and that of his brother Chimaji - all these in just their first six decades. The death of Chhatrapati Shahu after a four-decade reign, known for his moderation, was one of steady growth. It was followed by a war of succession, after which came the battle of Panipat. Smaller battles than Panipat had extinguished Empires in the past. It was only the strategic depth of the Maratha state with its capital in Pune that allowed it to emerge from this debacle. From here on, it was a question of preserving the Empire.

After Madhav rao, as this book will show, it was open season for men who sought power for their own selves with little thought of the effects their ambition had on the Empire. Raghoba led the way, and one is amazed at how, for over two decades after the death of Nanasaheb Peshwa, he was able to continue with his disruptive behaviour. When he reached the point where his actions crossed a line, there rose determined men who resisted him, at a tremendous cost to themselves and the Empire. This book deals with the period when the Marathas faced a real threat, real disruption and the possibility of becoming a subsidiary to a foreign power three to four decades before they eventually submitted.

The book deals with Raghoba's ambition, the fight back against his actions and the start of a bruising war with an emerging and opportunistic English power. We also find here, the story of the failure of Indian proto nationalism, of various regional satraps joining a foreign power, either voluntarily or on being coerced. It was, even then, more important for India's rulers to gratify personal ambition than look at the wider picture. The period was a hundred years before real and unified national consciousness emerged and the concept of a politically single and united state of India formed in the minds of her people.