#553 - Tanaji & The Treasure Trail
by Shraddha Sahi
“Tanaji & The Treasure Trail” by Shraddha Sahi. Published by Vishwakarma Publications. An epic adventure set in the seventeenth century featuring four children from the village of Naikwadi near Pune.
The story begins in 1669 with a spirited ten year old Prajakta Naik racing to her village of Naikwadi just in time to warn the villagers of a Mughal raid. The villagers flee to the surrounding forest while the Mughal soldiers plunder their village and take away all the valuables left behind. Prajakta’s family heirloom necklace is also stolen to her dismay. Prajakta and her brother Sarjya go on an outing to a waterfall at the edge of the forest with their friends Ganya and Sopan. Sarjya accidentally discovers a portion of the stolen loot from the raid including their necklace in a cave nearby.
The children donate the treasure found to the army of Shivaji Raje for the noble cause of Hindavi Swarajya. This act of theirs impresses Tanaji Malusare who is the right hand man of Raje. The children get to meet Raje as well as his mother and are appreciated for their contribution. Bad luck follows them when a villainous one eyed man with an ugly scar on his face seems to be searching for their heirloom necklace and will try to get it by all means. When his attempts to get the necklace are thwarted, he kidnaps Sarjya and seems to have gone in the direction of the impregnable Kondana fort which is now under the control of the Mughals. Will Prajakta and her friends be able to rescue Sarjya? Where has the villain hidden him? How will Prajakta play an important role in the battle for Kondana? Read the gripping thriller of a story to know all of these.
The book is an ode to the courage and bravery of the unsung warrior Tanaji. My ten year old son and I were hooked to the story right from the start. We raced through the pages with curiosity as to what was coming up next. The plot was thick with action and the children were so endearing. Each of the characters have been well developed. Be it feisty Prajakta, her supportive Baba, playful Sarjya, ever resourceful Sopan or humorous Ganya. The usage of Marathi words gives the narrative an authentic regional touch. The story gave us a glimpse into how the common people of the Konkan region would have lived in those times and the difficulties they were facing. It gave us goosebumps to imagine how the fight for Kondana would have been. After having read a book on Shivaji to my son last year, I wanted to introduce the story of Tanaji. This book was a chance find when I was looking for one. I would have loved it even more if there was a page or two at the end telling the readers about the actual events that took place historically so that they can distinguish between what is fact and what is fiction. Overall this is a “MUST READ” to know a lesser known part of history and appreciate the bravery and patriotism of Tanaji as well as Shivaji Raje and his army.
Recommended Age
The book is apt for children aged 10 and above.