The creator of an independent, sovereign Maratha state, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is said to have heralded a new era in early modern India. But what makes him singular and special? What was unique about the fight he fought and the state he built? Why did so many faceless and nameless people lay down their lives for him and the cause he was championing? How did his policies and his template of governance stand apart from those of other contemporary rulers in the sub-continent? How did the legendary clash between him and Aurangzeb unfold?  What were the lasting consequences of what he did in a relatively short life of 50 years? And how does all of it matter today? At our Online Talk #WarriorKing, author and journalist Vaibhav Purandare provides the answers to all these questions.

About the speaker

Vaibhav Purandare works as a senior editor with The Times of India, and is also the author of several books – ‘Savarkar: The True Story of the Father of Hindutva’, ‘Bal Thackeray and the Rise of the Shiv Sena’, ‘Sachin Tendulkar: A Definitive Biography’ and ‘Hitler and India: The Untold Story Of His Hatred For The Country And Its People’. His latest book is 'Shivaji: India's Great Warrior King'.