#448 - The Story of Shivaji The Warrior King

by Nishith Mehta and illustrated by Sunny Kolekar

“The Story of Shivaji The Warrior King” by Nishith Mehta and illustrated by Sunny Kolekar. Published by Good Earth. The awe-inspiring story of one of the greatest Indian kings.

The book begins with the coronation ceremony of Shivaji at Raigad fort on a warm day in June almost 350 years ago. It was a grand event and quite a sight to behold! Despite all the splendour around, the people who had gathered there had eyes only on their handsome king who was building his own kingdom. A new age had clearly dawned. Shivaji would be its Chhatrapati. He is reminded of how he has progressed in his journey till here from the time he was born. His dream and pledge has always been to free the parts of India which had been claimed by invaders who had arrived from other places. He would not rest until his dream of Swaraj or independence was achieved.

Shivaji’s journey had not been easy and straightforward. He had been tricked into house arrest in the Mughal fort of Agra along with his nine year old son Sambhaji by Aurangazeb. But Shivaji cleverly plotted an escape right under the noses of the unsuspecting guards and reached Raigad fort. His mother Jijabai was the one person who had always been with him to motivate, support and encourage his dream. She knew that this son of hers was destined to be a great warrior even before he was born thanks to a vivid dream. Read the book to know about the incredible journey of Shivaji and how he ended up becoming the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the annals of history.

The book is a visual stunner. The illustrations are so good that one can’t take their eyes off. The narration is crisp and brings the story of Shivaji alive. My nine year old was amazed by Shivaji and his achievements. We couldn’t stop admiring his fierce passion towards the cause of Swaraj. His determination, perseverance, smart thinking, strategy, innovative methods and the loyalty that he had earned among his followers made him a thorn in the flesh of his foes. His rise was the golden era in Deccan. The chapter about how the invincible Kondhana fort was captured by Shivaji’s general Tanaji Malusare was heart wrenching for me and my son. What a braveheart Tanaji must have been! No wonder he was the one that Shivaji had entrusted this crucial and seemingly impossible task to do. We found ourselves reading the book from cover to cover in just one sitting as we couldn’t put it down. Now my son wants to see atleast some of the forts that were part of Shivaji’s kingdom and also watch the movie on Tanaji which I told him about. The book is definitely a “MUST READ”!

PS - There are a couple of other books from Good Earth of other important people of historical importance which seem to be quite interesting. We have read “Krishna Deva Raya - King of Kings” from the set earlier and loved it.

Recommended Age

The book is apt for children aged 9/10 and above.

Reasons to Read

The book is a wonderful means of introducing children to one of the greatest kings of India.

Where to buy from?

The publishers Good Earth here.