The Peshwa Scion

Chapter 1

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"four hundred ninety eight...."

"four hundred ninety nine..."

"five hundred..."

Having completed his Surya Namaskars, he folded his hands in a Namaste.

His eyes closed, reciting a mantra paying a tribute to the Sun God.

Finally releasing His breath, he changed into his formal robes, done with his daily vyayam and stepped out of the aakhada.

Several young men and boys were entering the gym while the early risers who were done for the day were leaving, murmuring excitedly about the upcoming lalmati kusti, comparing how well prepared the opponents were and anticipating who will win the paritoshik.

The boy walked past diagonally till he reached the stable nearby and sped away galloping atop a young brown mare. As the first rays of the day crept on the outskirts of Shaniwar Wada, He let out a smile, enjoying the weather. The sun was still rising, and the rays mingled with the early morning dew making it neither too hot nor too cold to ride.

In less than half an hour, he reached one of his favorite places – the Parvati.

 Hundred and eight steps later he paid obeisance to the deity with folded hands and descended.

At 640 m above the sea level, the Parvati was one of the most scenic places in Pune. The height gave it yet another advantage- the vicinity was abundant with trees and silence and the Peshwas often came here to take a breath of fresh air.

The foothills of Parvati were perfect to practice the spear and after a two hour long rigorous practice, he was sweating a little with hints of dirt here and there as he galloped back to Shaniwar Wada, His home.

The sun had now fully risen, urging Madhavrao to hurry so as not to be late. After taking a quick bath and praying to Lord Ganesha, he had a quick lunch.

Then he changed into his formal robes and hurried to to his uncle's work chamber.

He quickly noted the presence of Sakharam Bapu, Gangoba Tatya, Gulabrao Patwardhan and a few others.

Some papers were being officially sealed while others were being discarded.

 There were many issues – corruption, injustice, incompetency or sheer carelessness on the part of officers.

He noticed that his uncle was dealing with the matter on a case-to-case basis instead of just applying the rules. In matters of loss, the compensation was to be given from the royal treasury but in case the loss was caused due to negligence or corruption, the compensation was made by deducting salary from the corrupt officer or by mortgaging his land.

This strictness on the part of Raghunathrao was the reason people feared him.

 But as Madhavrao watched his uncle engrossed in a deep discussion, he smiled knowing how lovable his Kakasaheb really was.

This was same man, who, on festivals was found all elated and joyous, going from one floor to another, wishing people on Anant Chaturthi, forcing them to eat more ladoos, cheering with all his might while watching a wrestling match. And even when he was on an expedition, his letters had a teeny tiny hint asking which wrestler had won the tournament and urging Madhavrao to keep up with his workout.