भारतीय इतिहास के ६ स्वर्णिम पृष्ठ (वीर सावरकर - विदेशी आक्रान्ताओं पर विजय गाथा)

read his big volumes on Muslim Riyasat. I told him that I had read all of his books. But having had a chance of mixing with non-Marathi scholars, I could authoritatively say that they had no knowledge of the greatness of nor even a nodding acquaintance with, the essence of Maratha history: that many of them bore a sort of grudge towards the Marathas. So I requested him to undertake the writing of an authentic, handy history based on solid facts so that non-Marathi world might know it in its true form and perspective; upon which he said that some one else should do it now. So I said, ‘No, at least today, you are the only authoritative writer who can possibly do it. Although your old age may present difficulties, you should undertake it as the crowning glory of your life work. Possibly it will be completed! You seem to have been blessed with a long life. At least, you should begin at once to write such a history in English.’ Then after some casual talk while seeing him off, I expressed my gratitude at the visit of such a great historian at my residence. Before even my sentence was completed he said ‘No, No, the real pleasure is mine! We are all the writers of history; but you are the makers of history! When you make history, we note it down and I came here with a sincere desire to see you as the maker of history! And then we took leave of each other with thankful hearts. 1002. And I think it would be proper to set down just here that some fifteen years or so after this visit of ours, he wrote as the ripe fruit of his life, a detailed history of the Marathas in English in three volumes. 1003. As soon as I came to Ratnagiri, after being released from the Andamans, I was forbidden to take any active part in politics and because of the ban on the change of district, I was forced to set limits to my movements. So in this restricted life of mine at Ratnagiri, I decided that I myself should write a discursive book although without any help from reference books that would interpret and explain the unrivalled valour of the post-Shivaji Maharashtra and the freedom of the Hindu nation that it effected by destroying the Muslim domination. Why, before the end of February 1925, I completed the writing of that book. Hindu Padpadshahi 1004. The very name of that book I chose as ‘Hindu Padpadshahi’ rather than merely the history of the Marathas. For, in my opinion, the Marathas in general did not fight only for Maharashtra, nor for their household land or their fields. Their sole objective was to liberate Hindu religion and Hindu Nation—of which Maharashtra was known to them to be only a part—from