Shraddha Kumbhojkar, professor and head of the department of history at the Savitribhai Phule University in Pune, recalls Raj Thackeray, nephew of Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray, asking NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) leader Sharad Pawar, who would be that one person whom all Maharashtrians will accept and like. Mr. Raj was hinting that Mr. Pawar was that person, only to be told by the latter that it was Chhatrapati Shivaji. Just as Mr. Pawar had said, diverse political forces and caste groups in Maharashtra swear by Shivaji today, which was evident during the recent Maharashtra Assembly election.
The caste equations in Maharashtra and how Shivaji sought and obtained Brahmin approval for his coronation were the subjects of a Tamil play two years before Independence. ShivajiKanda Hindu Rajyam was DMK founder C.N. Annadurai’s play that asked how and why Brahmins could have the right of refusal over a brave warrior, who had heroically obtained independence for his people from the Mughals, being crowned as the king of the Maratha Empire.
Anna’s intent was clear: He was conveying a political message to Tamils. Incidentally, the Marathi Brahmins of Shivaji’s time spoke contemporary Tamil Brahmin lingo in his play. The play’s plot is a set of events leading to the coronation that some Brahmins oppose since Shivaji is a Shudra, a farmer. A devoted Brahmin follower of Shivaji, Moropant (Pingale) opposes the coronation because of caste reasons. But Chitnis, an upper caste Kayastha, is steadfast and comes up with a plan to seek the approval of Gaga Bhatt, a Brahmin in Varanasi. The Maharashtra Brahmins assure him that if Bhatt approves, they would too.
At first, Bhatt demurs. Then, he agrees, seeing the possibility of Brahmin hegemony being retained, since it would show even the highly popular and respected Shivaji wants their sanction. Bhatt extracts a heavy price — money, jewellery from thulabaram, a month-long feast for Brahmins, and so on. Moropant convinces Bhatt against crowning Shivaji, saying Shivaji will then create a dynasty of Shudras. Bhatt then comes up with a crooked ploy and tells Chitnis he will crown Chitnis instead of Shivaji. This angers the loyal Chitnis. Seeing Chitnis’ absolute and fierce devotion, Bhatt again flip-flops in Shivaji’s favour, although not wholeheartedly.
Parimal Maya Sudhakar, associate professor at the MIT World Peace University, says that according to folklore, Bhatt would only go as far as to put the tilak on Shivaji’s forehead with his foot, not with his fingers, during the coronation.
Prof. Kumbhojkar says there is no record of Moropant being against Shivaji’s coronation although Chitnis did have a grudge against the Brahmins for denying his request to perform upanayanam for his sons. Chitnis, being a prabhu, a kayastha, put himself on the same level as Brahmins, only to be shown his “true” station by them, she adds. Chandramohan, a loyal soldier of Shivaji, doesn’t acquiesce until the very end. He advocates not seeking Brahmin approval. He asks how during a fierce drought could Shivaji agree to organise a feast for Brahmins. Shivaji banishes the recalcitrant Chandramohan from the kingdom as a loving reprimand, explaining that at a critical juncture he couldn’t afford Brahmins stirring up trouble against him.
An alternative title
Shivaji Kanda Hindu Rajyam has an ‘a.k.a’. Its alternative title is Chandramohan, a Shivaji-era Periyarist who was the real hero of the play.
D.V. Narayanaswamy, who played the role of Chandramohan in the play.
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Special arrangement
R. Kannan, author of The DMK Years and a biographer of Anna, says there is no other reference to Shivaji in any of Anna’s writings and attributes the subject of the play to the fact that Annadurai was a voracious reader who must have read up on Shivaji just as he did on many other topics. Shivaji and the Maratha kingdom were not alien to Tamils either.
M. Naganathan, academic and former Vice-Chairman of the Tamil Nadu Planning Commission, recalls seeing the ticketed play in Chidambaram. It was popular, he says, adding it was staged many times. In a twist of irony, Anna played Gaga Bhatt.
Mr. Kannan says D.V. Narayanaswamy, who later played Chandramohan and whom Anna was fond of, suggested that M.G. Ramachandran play Shivaji and set up the first meeting with the two. MGR, however, developed cold feet a week before the play’s premiere. “It was a time when Periyar and his followers were a fringe group espousing highly radical ideas, and MGR wished to take no risks,” Mr. Kannan recalls.
MGR turning down the offer became V. C. Ganesan’s opportunity. Anna gave a 90-page script to Ganesan who, within seven hours, absorbed it and acted it out to Anna, says Mr. Kannan. Actors K.R. Ramasamy and his drama colleagues, including Ganesan, were under Anna’s care at that time. Ganesan became Sivaji Ganesan as a result, with Periyar officially giving him the name when the play was staged first on April 29, 1945 at St. Mary’s Hall in then Madras.
Parimal Maya Sudhakar says that in Maharashtra, Shivaji’s story has two narratives: the Hindu warrior who fought the Mughals and the reformist-minded low-born who convinced his mother not to commit Sati, rising up to be a great warrior and king. Mr. Sudhakar says Hindutva advocates point to the brutal murder of Shivaji’s son by Aurangzeb but are silent on how Sambhaji was betrayed by Brahmins, which led to his capture.
The Maharashtra election ended recently, and there was a tussle about who would be the Chief Minister — the Brahmin, Devendra Fadnavis, or the Maratha, Eknath Shinde. Prof. Sudhakar says Brahmins were a part of the Congress, the socialists, as well as the Jan Sangh in Maharashtra until the 1980s, when they started to consolidate around the BJP. Recalling how the Brahmin Peshwas re-asserted their dominance over the Maratha Empire not long after Shivaji died, some critics see a parallel in the ascendance of Mr. Fadnavis, who is only the second Brahmin Chief Minister of the State.
Published – December 20, 2024 07:03 am IST
