Author: Vinita Deshmukh
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: December 9, 2001
Introduction: As Hollywood gears
up to film the tale of an Indian triumph against the mighty British empire,
Vinita Deshmukh applauds the Puneites who took the first step to rescue
history
Think of a small village about 45
kms north-west of Pune on the Pune-Mumbai National Highway no.4. Think
of the all-conquering British Empire. Think of a Maratha chieftain valiantly
guarding his land and folk. Think Wadgaon in 1779.
A fierce battle was fought here
between the Marathas and English, with Mahadji Shinde, the great general
and ancestor of the Scindia family of Gwalior, as the Maratha leader and
brain behind the victory for the Marathas. The Battle of Wadgaon, wherein
the Marathas inflicted a humiliating defeat on the English has uptil now
remained blurred in the passages of Anglo-Maratha history. Now, thanks
to the efforts of some eminent Pune citizens, the battle has been admirably
remembered and given its rightful place in Indian history to serve as an
example and inspiration for the youth.
Today, a victory pillar has been
erected and stands silent testimony to a chapter in Indian history that
was not very well-known. The objective is to spread the message that 'Indians
are second to none'.
Not only have the residents of Pune
commemorated their ancestors, but also Hollywood seems to have gone beyond
the battles and triumphs of the white man to bring to the silver screen
this victory. A Hollywood producer along with a leading Marathi producer
have promised to sketch it out for the world to see.
The seeds of this Hollywood film
titled The Invader - to be produced by Peter Rawley of Ransom fame and
Ajey Jhankar, leading Marathi film producer of Lekru fame - were sown by
some Pune citizens who found that the battle was a classic example of a
brilliant Indian victory over the colonialists. They got together under
the umbrella of the Express Nagarik Wadgaon Vijaystambh Pratishthan, spearheaded
by The Indian
Express, Pune, in 1996.
Piqued at the renovation work started
on the Koregaon pillar - a victory memorial of the British and represented
the defeat of the Indians - on the outskirts of Pune in 1996 by the Bombay
Engineering Group (BEG), the trustees of this Pratishthan started the installation
of the Wadgaon battle victory pillar to set the region's history in right
order.
Some of the eminent trustees include
Maj Gen V.V. Bhide (retd), director-general of Border Road Organisation,
renowned industrialist Arun Firodia' chairman and managing director of
Kinetic group, S.M. Garge, noted historian of Maharashtra, S. B. Mujumdar,
founder-director of Symbiosis, Lt-Gen Y.D. Sahasrabuddhe (retd), former
director-general of the Army Service Corps, Lt-Gen Ashok Joshi (retd),
first professor of University of Pune's Chhatrapati Shivaji chair and Dr-Col.
Anil Athale (retd), military historian and senior editor, Express Initiatives,
Pune, and civic activists, Shashikant Mehendale and Chandmal Parmar.
States Arun Firodia, "Our history
has always been projecting Indian defeats and has been ignoring our various
victories. For example, at around the same time when Mohammed Ghazni was
plundering north-west India, the Cholas of the South had brought the entire
South East under them, but this is never highlighted. And, sorrowfully,
the feeling of a defeatist attitude is being harboured even 50 years after
India's Independence. Thus, the Wadgaon victory pillar signifies that Indians,
being the best professionals, can compete in today's cutthroat and competitive
world and should get rid of their inferiority complex."
Says Dr-Col Anil Athale (retd),
who has done in-depth research under the Gen. Palit fellowship from the
Institute of Defence Studies and Analysis, New Delhi, between 1991-1995
and gathered information from India Office Library and Records, "The Maratha
army, by the 1770s, had acquired an all - India character. There were Jats,
Rajputs, Sikhs, Muslims and Goans in the army. The chief of the Maratha
artillery was Norohna, a Goan. The messengers, and also the persons who
shadowed the army as it came from Mumbai to Pune, were mostly from the
Mahar community. Therefore, it was a formidable Indian side against the
British. And the Battle of Wadgaon is a good example of how we counteracted
colonial aggression and should now in this century pick this as an example
of Indian confidence to survive and succeed."
The project has two components.
One, is the erection of the Victor Pillar in the shape of the Deep-Stambh
at Wadgaon Maval along with a life-size bronze statue of Shrimant Mahadji
Shinde. And, secondly, the installation of a tableau of five life-size
bronze statues depicting the total surrender of the East India Company
to Shrimant Mahadji Shinde on January 16, 1779. This is to be erected at
a place which will have maximum exposure to citizens, especially the youth.
At the outset, the victory pillar
was proposed on the hill of Wadgaon where the surrender took place. The
land belongs to Rahuri University, a leading agricultural university in
Maharashtra. Although the then Vice-Chancellor was excited about the project,
the then Shiv Sena State Minister of Agriculture, Shashikant Sutar, the
pro-Vice Chancellor of the shot it down saying that the rocky land vas
required for cultivation.
Thereafter, it was proposed to be
erected at the popular Rajmachi gardens at Khandala-Lonavla on the Mumbai
Pune Highway. However, since Khandala is going to be bypassed by the Mumbai-Pune
expressway, it is now propose to be erected in the heart of Pune.
Though the spot for the pillar may
have been oscillating a bit, the place the battle holds in the heart of
producer Ajey Jhankar is undisputed: "Although I am a literature and history
student, I was unaware of the Wadgaon battle until I met the trustees of
the pratishthan. I found that it had great ingredients to make it into
a dramatic and intelligent film. I'm sure the Battle of Wadgaon, which
is not only exemplary in guerrilla warfare but a great example of the tenacious,
intelligent and confident Indian mind, would enlighten many a viewer, across
the world."