Author: Shreyas Bhave
Publisher: Leadstart Publishing
Have you heard about the personality of Bahirji-Naik?
The Legend of Bahirji-Naik: The Raiders of Surat by Shreyas Bhave tells us the story of the
Maratha Swarajya and what happens when the constant attacks have ravaged the
Swarajya’s armies and depleted its treasury. The Mughal Subhedar Shaistekhan,
sits encamped with his occupying army in the Maratha’s ancestral city – Pune.
To survive, Raje must replenish the Swarajya’s treasuries and rebuild its
armies. A hundred kos to the North lies the city of Surat, a hell-hole of
corruption and guile, but rich with gold. An attack on Surat would solve all
Raje’s problems. But Surat lies deep in Mughal territory, defended by Mughal
Subhedar Inayat Khan, with a garrison of five thousand trained troops. The
Swarajya’s hope of survival now depends on a seemingly impossible mission. The
brunt will be borne by the Guptachar corps, led by Bahirji-Naik, and their new
apprentice, Shashidhwaj, a mere boy of sixteen, using everything they know, to
achieve fatteh. Can the Guptachars lead Raje’s army to Surat, negotiating such
a vast stretch of hostile Mughal territory? Can they devise a way to beat the
defenders of the city? Above all, can the Maratha Swarajya prevail? Or will it
be destroyed like the hundreds of others who dared stand against the mighty
Mughal Empire?
The book is a well-researched account of the Maratha raid of Surat in
1663, and while the author has taken creative liberty, as mentioned in the
author’s note, the book reads like a gripping account of events as they occur.
Shreyas’ storytelling is quite distinctive as he uses characters as well as
props to move the plot forward and develop the situations. The book starts off
with multiple events taking place at different places and is told as a flashback
upto the point where the raid begins, and the various sub-plots converge. What
I liked about the book is that the central aspect of the story is mentioned and
yet remains obscure till the very climax which adds to the intrigue of the
plot. The revelations in the climax are not someone would have guessed, and somehow
made complete sense in hindsight. Another thing I liked is the fact that the
book keeps its focus on the story of the Guptachars and their work, rather than
move into a tirade about good or bad.
Coming to the characters, Bahirji-Naik impressed me with the detailing
that Shreyas has done for their characters, specially when the historical
information about them would have not been in as much detail as he would have
liked. The way their characters show up in this book have surely got me
excited for the upcoming books so as to see how their other adventures pan out.
Shashidhwaj’s character was the star of the book and the way he matures from
the first page to the last, specially in the scene inside the shamiyana (no
spoilers!) is the sign of a storyteller par excellence. The other characters we
see are people of note that form a critical part of our history, and I liked how
Shreyas uses visual cues to paint a word picture of them.
The book is an excellent story of the spy craft Indian history has had
and the crucial role they play in the game of empires. If you are a history
buff and love historical fiction, then this is a book that comes highly
recommended. The book scores a 4.81/5 for me.
A copy of the book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
Get your copy of the book on Amazon India, or your nearest bookstore!
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