Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj - a self-made leader and King

Today is the birth anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. I am sure it will be celebrated in grand style with a lot of fanfare. There was some dispute over the date of his birth, but that's a trivial issue. I still don't understand why this issue even started a few years back, I remember reading about that in the news. I studied the life of King Shivaji and his heroics as a part of our history syllabus in 4th or 5th grade. It was not easy to remember all the dates and the exact chronology of events. We needed to memorize all these details and then write in our history exams. The exam pattern of that time tried their best to make history as boring as possible with so many dates and names (and the compulsion of remembering all of them) but still, his story and heroics thrilled me. I was impressed by the way he created his own army and from a very young age he fought against all the odds to become a king of the masses.  

There are many books, some by very eminent authors which discuss very detailed accounts of his life. There are many movies and plays especially, in Marathi based on some incidents from his life. All these are excellent resources to learn about this great personality and understand the importance of his work. There is no doubt that he is one of the most influential personalities in Indian history. He was not born into any royal family, he didn't inherit any kingdom, rather his father used to work for the Mughal emperors of that time (Adilshah). He fought with the employers of his own father to rescue the people of his region from all the troubles which they were facing because of the miserable policies of these rulers. He was not only a brave warrior but also was very good strategist and knew very well his own strengths and weaknesses. He also knew his enemy inside out. His sharp brain and very good presence of mind helped him whenever he was in trouble. He was a leader with a sharp mind, a very big and brave heart, and a great vision.

Shivaji Maharaj is sometimes described as "The great Hindu King or "The great Maratha King." These two terms exclusively refer to the religion and caste he belongs and I feel that both of these terms don't do justice to the greatness of this man. He never ruled or even envisioned his kingdom as a Hindu or Maratha kingdom. He was a very secular king. In his kingdom, people from all religions and castes felt really safe and welcomed. I did not know any instances from his life where he mistreated any person or group just because of their religion, caste, or gender that's why I feel it's totally wrong to give him labels like this. I feel this is an attempt to appropriate his character by some groups for political gains. His name and image have been used or many times misused by many political and non-political organizations for their own benefit. I am sure he would not have approved such things in his lifetime.

We have such a great example of self self-made person, who fought with all the odds all his life and almost won all the battles. Even though his enemies were much stronger than him, he never got scared or lost confidence in his own and his people's abilities. We need such heroes today who can guide the masses, but unfortunately, we lack such personalities in today's world. Today's leaders are slowly losing touch with common people and there is a huge communication gap between these leaders and the common people whom they are supposed to lead. Shivaji Maharaj was not like that, he did whatever was necessary for the people of his kingdom even if it meant risking his own life. We don't see such commitment and loyalty in today's leaders and that's why I feel in today's world it's more important to remember people like Shivaji Maharaj.

I wish that people or political parties who claim exclusive rights over Shivaji and use his image for their own benefit would also learn some important lessons from his life and try to serve people the way he did. Just publishing books on him, printing his posters, or raising his statues on every square is not going to serve any purpose. We need to remind people of why he fought, what principles he believed in, and how he treated with respect even his enemies. He never played politics of revenge, never insulted any religion. We all need to remember his great qualities which made him a great king and I feel this will be a real homage to him and this will be a real celebration of his legacy.

Thanks for reading and please share your views on this topic.

(Copyright: Vinay Thakur. Please contact the author for re-posting or publishing)

References:

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shivaji

2. http://hinduhistory.blogspot.com/2008/02/chatrapati-shivaji-maharaj.html