Review of The Peshwa Ram Sivasankaran

After the movie Bajirao Mastani, we all became familiar with the story of
Bajirao and his personal life with his wives Kashibai and Mastani. But the
movie didnt quite show the story before that, or how Rao gained and did
justice to the title of Peshwa. This book brings out the life of Bajirao
beginning from before his birth, when his father, Balaji Vishvanath Bhat
was the Peshwa to the Chhatrapati Shahu. This book is work of fiction based
on real events and people. However, the detailing and the depiction of
various characters and events are fantastic. The story shows the demise the
demise of Raos father, Balaji, and how he, till his last breath clears the
path for his son to inherit the stature of Peshwa of the Maratha
Confederacy. Amongst other wannabes who want to be the next Peshwa, Rao
proves his mantle and in doing so, his wife Kashibai stood with him in
doing so.
The plot of the book is focused on the first battle of Rao against
theNizam-ul-mulk, the
martial
tactics
and
strategizies
devised
by
the Peshwaduring the course of the war. The background story of the
interaction ofNizam with Raos father and the following attacks on him
along with the bitterness infused between the Mughals and Marathas lends
the book an interesting curve.
To all those romantics, who might pick up this book looking for a
passionate love story will be in for a surprise when they found no mention
of the legendary Mastani in the whole book save a fleeting mention in the
Epilogue, for it is the story of a Lion and a Stallion and not kindred
hearts. I too was a bit taken back, but the retelling of the journey of a
man from being a toddler to a Peshwa was a pleasant eye-opener and left me
with high praises for the author.