Maharani Tarabai Bhonsale A Glorious But Forgotten Chapter From The Pages Of History Screams To Be Remembered

-Ali Peter John

My mother was according to me the first brave bold and courageous woman I ever saw. It was she who gave me the idea of how when women are challenged with hurdles, they can conquer in a much better way than men…

My mother had a bitch(I don’t know how else they call the female of a dog) called lucky who was her protector till the end of her life, a job which was carried on by her son, Prince who died fighting men who tried to harm my mother. That was not all. We had another dog called Queue a name give to him by one of my Uncles who once fought a pitched battle with a Cobra to protect my mother and at the end of the battle both Queue and the Cobra died and my neighbours had built a tomb over both her dog and a cobra. These stories may sound amazing and unbelievable but they are very much true and I have been witness to them.

Now, let me tell you why I am talking about my mother and the strange incidents. My friend, Mr Bajaj has sent me the skeletons of a story which has fascinated so much that I have filled it up with some more details and am presenting the story as best as I can tell it.

This is the story of a woman way ahead of her times. Tarabai Bhonsale who was the daughter of Hanibai Mohite, a General in the Army of the Marathas. He had married Chhatrapati Raja Ram Bhonsale, the second son of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. She was only twenty-five when her husband died due to a lung infection during the time they were escaping from being taken hostage by the Army of the Mughal Emperor, Aurangzeb.

Tara Bai had no other way out after her husband died and took over the Maratha empire and ruled it for the next seven years which turned out to be the most eventful time in the Maratha history.

Tarabai’s father had the foresight to train his daughter in the art of horse ridding, sword fighting, cavalry and army strategy besides diplomacy, which helped her in establishing her regency. In a very short time, she proved that she was not only a very good ruler but also a brave fighter who could encourage her army to fight some of the most dangerous battles against the Mughals and win. Her plus point was her having a very good camaraderie with her truths  and showing respect to every soldier.

I may not be wrong if I say from recorded history that she was one of the women in the world to not only talk about equality for women but also practice it in her own life. Not much has been said about how much or how little she was educated, but there is mention about her efforts to consciously learn and excel at whatever she already knew. There is also no mention about her children, the only known fact about her personal life is that she married very young and was widowed at the age of twenty-five and was a beautiful woman.

She was so good as a ruler and a warrior that she not only established her own empire but even extended it by even plundering large tracks of land in what is now called south Karnataka and all along the Coastal region.

There is also no mention about how she spent her last days but there is ample proof to know to know that there was a tomb erected in her honour and there is proof to know that her tomb somewhere near Raigad is lying chambers and in a dirty condition. At a time when some leaders are busy building statues and temples and even hiring out memorials and historical sites, isn’t it high time that someone who has some power does something to see that the memory of this great Queen is not forgotten.

And if there could be biopics on Rani Roopmati, Rani Padmavati, Jhasi ki Rani and Jija Bai, Why can’t some of our outstanding film maker take cue and think of making a biopic on Maharani Tar Bai? And if you ask me, from the description I have received, the best choice to play Tarabai could have been Smita Patil and now since we cant have her, the only other choice i think could Kajol, one of the most natural, talented and hardworking actress of our times. And since her husband, Ajay Devgun has already produced Tanhaaji, I think he could pay his best tribute to his wife by producing the film on Maharani Tarabai Bhonsale.