What an amazing story this was. A personal adventure, as well as an insight into the political upheaval of one of the most pivotal period in the Indian Independence movement. It’s not a very large book, and I finished it in 3 days!
Vishnubhat Godse and his uncle Rambhat go on a pilgrimage from a small village in Maharashtra to Kashi, in order to earn some dakshina to help the financial status of their large, poor family. Not long into their travel, they get caught right in the thick of the 1857 war. They almost lose their lives twice during the looting and pillaging in the aftermath of wars, get robbed several times of all their belongings including the dakshina they had earned until then, and meanwhile even get to meet Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi.
They do manage to complete their teerthyatra, also visiting Ayodhya on the way before finally reaching Kashi. They return safely 3 years after they left home. The journey changed Vishnubhat’s perspective, worldview and his lifestyle, and he gives up the idea of a life of luxury. He spends the rest of his life in austerity. He pens down their adventure in detail several years later for his descendants, and one of his disciples gets it published in Marathi a few years after his death.
The book has details about the Jhansi war that I found most fascinating, but also left me disgusted at the way the British systematically looted the city afterwards. This knowledge is not new, but reading about it from the perspective of a commoner hits you anew. Thousands of men between the age of 5-60 were slaughtered mindlessly just for the mistake of having lived in that city. Crores of rupees worth of riches were taken from Jhansi and Kalpi alone! Vishnubhat was a witness to all this.
I’m thankful to Maneesh Godbole for discovering this book and then deciding to translate it in English. The story has been narrated largely in just the way Vishnubhat had written it, with some commentaries of his own. It makes for a very interesting, illuminating read.
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