Collapse Of Shivaji Statue: Collapse Of His Lofty Ideals

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 30 August 2024 A journalist friend from Bombay jokingly asked me whether there was any Muslim constructor who erected Shivaji's huge statue which collapsed recently? This shows the Hindu-Muslim divide in Maharashtra and the erroneous projection of the great Maratha warrior who was never against the Muslims. Though Shivaji fought against the Mughals and the Muslim rulers from nearby Bijapur sultanate, the reason was purely territorial and never communal. Alack, he's being projected as the face of Hindutva by the militant Hindutva forces and belligerent neo-Hindus. A statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, erected by the Navy and inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year, collapses at Rajkot Fort, in Malvan, on August 26, 2024. | Photo Credit: PTI ------ These people must read the history of Maharashtra and Marathas. Shivaji had utmost respect for Islam and Muslims and he never discriminated. Even when Shivaji killed the crafty and cruel Afzal Khan by disemboweling the latter, he didn't desecrate the beheaded body of Afzal and instructed his soldiers not to defile the body of the slain Khan. Shivaji himself carried Afzal's head and buried it respectfully. In fact, Shivaji didn't want to kill Afzal as the latter was his father's 'friend'. He let the wounded Afzal escape but a close associate of Shivaji, Yesaji Kank, beheaded Afzal for which he got a dressing-down from Shivaji. Modern historian Sir Jadunath Sarkar and Mughal historian and chronicler Khafif Khan ( also spelt Khafi Khan) called Shivaji the most impartial Hindu ruler. Though Khafif Khan was a rabid critic of Shivaji, he always conceded that Shivaji never insulted Islam and the Quran. His most trustworthy gunner was a Muslim, Ibrahim Gardi. Idris Shah and Naeem Moosa were his other close lieutenants till the end. While translating his Farmaan (edicts) written in Persian and Modi script ( a one-stroke cryptic script, precursor to modern Marathi script that's based on Devnagari) into Urdu, English, Hindi, Dutch and Turkish, I came across many passages that underscore Shivaji's benevolence towards the Muslims. Yet, he's being shown as the eliminator and terminator of Muslims. So, the collapse of Shivaji's statue in Maharashtra is not just an ominous sign. It's an epiphany; a moment of revelation that his exalted ideas have collapsed in these sickly polarised times. ------ A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/collapse-shivaji-statue-lofty-ideals/d/133079 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism