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improving the situation by means of international action have drastically failed and it does not sound sensible in the mouth of any students of political history to criticise Shivaji for what his peers are daily practising.
I have been a close student of historical literature and the belief is slowly growing upon me that our histories were being written by interested foreigners and by people who had their own axe to grind. The Hindu Moslim question, like so many other problems, is an outcome of the particular view point which was always emphasised in depicting our struggle for independence. Now, purely historical facts do not warrant our reading the present distortions of our social relations into the past. I wonder if you have realised this point sufficiently enongh to guard yourself against falling in and leading others to fall in the same trap. I do not propose to elaborate the point here, but I should certainly sound a note of warning to all those who would seek to bring any fresh and independent viewpoint to bear upon the period of history they are studying.
I wish your book all the success that it certainly deserves. N. C. Kelkar. B. A. L. L. B. Poona
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At this particular critical juncture of the political evolution in India, some valuable traits in the history of this great and renowned Hindu King, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, should be of great use, to help us out of our present difficulties; one great political lesson of his life, that no modern student of politics should miss, is that political strategy, diplomacy and statesmanship, are as essential to achieve one's political goal, as undaunted courage, dogged determination, and dashing spirit. In that respect, he stands on the same high level as the greatest of modern mass leaders and revolutionaries like Lenin, Sun-yat-sen, Kemal and even Napolean. The epithet "mountain Rat" was as descriptive of his cunning and deep fore-sight as of his intrepidity and rapidity of action.
No great Empire or Kingdom has been built up or maintained by heroics alone. Therefore, I have always appealed to Indian youths to pay as much attention to and study, the strategio and diplomatic
Shree Sudharmaswami Gyanbhandar-Umara, Surat
www.umaragyanbhandar.com
