Maratha Swarajya, 1663: The dream of a kingdom of the people envisioned by Raje Shivaji, is crumbling. There are enemies to the North, and to the South. The constant attacks have ravaged the Swarajya’s armies and depleted its treasury. The Mughal Subhedar Shaistekhan, sits encamped with his occupying army in the Maratha’s ancestral city – Pune. All hope seems lost. Merely driving Shaistekhan out of Pune is not going to be enough. To survive, Raje must replenish the Swarajya’s treasuries and rebuild its armies. A hundred kos to the North lies the city of Surat, a hell-hole of corruption and guile, but rich with gold. An attack on Surat would solve all Raje’s problems. But Surat lies deep in Mughal territory, defended by Mughal Subhedar Inayat Khan, with a garrison of five thousand trained troops. The Swarajya’s hope of survival now depends on a seemingly impossible mission. The brunt will be borne by the Guptachar corps, led by Bahirji-Naik, and their new apprentice, Shashidhwaj, a mere boy of sixteen, using everything they know, to achieve fatteh. Can the Guptachars lead Raje’s army to Surat, negotiating such a vast stretche of hostile Mughal territory? Can they devise a way to beat the defenders of the city? Above all, can the Maratha Swarajya prevail? Or will it be destroyed like the hundreds of others who dared stand against the mighty Mughal Empire?

MARATHA SWARAJYA, 1665 The Fort of Purandar is under siege by a huge Mughal army, led by the ruthless Afghan leader Dilerkhan, and the much feted Rajput Commander, Mirza Raje Jaysingh. All seems lost for the fledgling Maratha nation. Surrounded on all sides, Raje Shivaji debates with his advisors the wisest course of action. But history is wont to repeat itself. The Mughal and Adilshahi forces, under the slave-general Siddi Jauhar, had earlier surrounded the Swarajya, trapping Raje himself on Panhalgad Fort. Desperate times call for desperate measures and a dangerous plan had been concocted for his escape under cover of night, right under the noses of the enemy. The thrilling tale of that famous escape to Vishalgad, and the ensuing Battle of Umberkhind, which destroyed the Mughal army, unfolds through the eyes of Shivaji Raje’s famous Guptachars or intelligence team – Bahirji-Naik. What transpired remains one of the greatest examples of guerilla warfare the world has ever witnessed. And once again, the Guptachars prepare to outmaneuver the Mughal Army against impossible odds. But not all battles are fought on the battlefield. A temporary peace is achieved through shrewd diplomacy in the Treaty of Purandar. But every peace has its price. The Badshah Alamgir Aurangzeb commands Shivaji Raje to appear before him at his durbar in Agra. The Guptachars are thus faced with the daunting task of safeguarding the Maratha Chhatrapati on his visit to the Mughal capital and his safe passage out of the lion’s den. Book Two of The Legend of Bahirji-Naik picks up the story of how these famed Guptachars came into Swarajya’s fold, while relating two of the greatest achievements of their eventful career; that saved both their King and the Maratha nation from mortal danger.

Litteratura is our literary magazine aimed at featuring authors, writers, bloggers, publishers and organisations in the literary domain to provide them with mass visibility by widespread circulation, and extensive coverage both in print and digital media. This issue of Litteratura is all about Literature from features in Asia.

What exactly happened to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose? • In 1945, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Leader of the INA leaves Singapore to take a series of flights, and dies in Taiwan after his plane crashes near Formosa. Or so it seems. • In 1947, Mr & Mrs Singh, an illustrious army couple, both veterans of the Indian National Army, are last seen in Delhi, and then never again. • In 1949, the plane carrying the first deputy Prime Minister of India, Sardar Vallabhai Patel, mysteriously disappears for seven hours. • In 2012, following the fall of WikiLeaks, a female hacker of the notorious X group is on the run as most wanted by everyone from Interpol to the KGB • In 2015, the millionaire CEO of a Fortune 500 company suddenly resigns and vanishes from the public eye. A set of seemingly unconnected disappearances emerge to be woven into a single fabric as the answer to one leads to another… In this riveting narrative, bestselling author Shreyas Bhave, takes the reader on a thrilling adventure to solve the greatest mystery the Indian nation has known.

Vinoba was a devout person. He was spirituality personified. His rigorous effort to explore and unearth the hidden values of these ancient scriptures led him to select one eight of the entire Rig-veda which contained its in-depth meaning. This was brought out in a book-form under the title 'Rig-veda-Sar (The essence of Rig-veda). Just few days before the end of his earthly sojourn, Vinoba underlined the importance of the selected eighty-three mantras (verses) from 'Rig-veda Sar' and suggested regular recitation of these mantras along with 'Gitai' (the Marathi rendition of the Bhagwad Gita). The publisher found his comments on some of them scattered in his voluminous literary works. These comments have been compiled and edited into a book titled 'Vedamrut' in Hindi and now translated in English. This is a small book, rich in spiritual wisdom handed down by one who exemplified the tradition of the Vedic seers in this modern material age. It is certain that even a small drop of this wisdom will benefit every one of us in our spiritual quest.

Bharatvarsha, Land Of The Aryas: 272 EL Bindusar, the Samrat Chakravartin of all the Aryas, ruler of the Indian sub¬continent, is dead. Chaos rules as the royal succession turns upon intrigue, dark coalitions, violence and death. The realm stands divided and civil war ensues. In Vidishanagri: Asoka kills his brother's Ashwamedha stallion and marches to Patliputra with his army. The Ancient Brahminical Order rises in his support. Have they made the right choice? In Taxila: The rightful heir, Sushem, raises an army to meet the challenge posed by his ambitious and gifted brother, Asoka. He prepares to march to the capital and seize the throne by force. Will history repeat itself? Will Sushem achieve what his grandfather Chandragupta did? In Junagarh: Guildmaster Hardeo sets out on a private mission to cquire the great salt pans of Sindh. Will he succeed in his secret enterprise? In Vidishanagri: Radhagupta travels to fulfill the task allotted to him by the Order. Kanakdatta, the Buddhist, stands up to stop him. Will Radhagupta fail in his mission? The winds of war howl over the sub-continent, blowing every last person one way or the other. Blood will be spilled, secrets revealed and men ruined. History shall be made. In Book II of the epic Asoka Trilogy, the storm approaches — the harbinger of death and destruction. When the dust finally settles the great question will be answered: Who is the next Samrat of the revered lands of the Aryas?

Circa 800 BC: Merit or birth? Meritocracy or dynastic monarchy? King Sarthak of the mighty kingdom of Manukeshwar faces this great dilemma in naming his successor. The contenders to the throne are the upright and virtuous Kanishka, son of a learned Rishi, and his own firstborn, the selfish and arrogant Prince Jaivant. Breaking centuries of oppressive tradition, the King names the valorous commoner as heir. Humiliated and aggrieved, Jaivant bides his time. Using age-old deceit and treachery, he succeeds in usurping the throne. But he does not anticipate the resolve of the ascetic warrior. The stage is set for a mighty struggle. Through an interlinked web of events and emotion, through love, envy, deceit and romance, the book tells the story of a crusade to restore dharma in a kingdom afflicted by despotic dynastic rule. Sattva Rajas Tamas is the story of powerful opposing forces. It is also the tale of a man’s remarkable resolve to keep fighting for truth and justice, to never give up. The ancient tale has disconcerting parallels in our modern times. Though the times have changed, the conflict between dharma and adharma has not.

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“States fall, empires break up, dynasties become extinct, but the memory of a true “hero as King” like Shivaji remains an imperishable historical legacy…” – Jadunath Sarkar, House of Shivaji (1919) Shivaji Bhonsle was an Indian warrior king who went on to lay the foundation of the strong Maratha Empire. The first Chhatrapati, he is known to have outdone his predecessors as well as successors in giving an identity and status to Marathas. A tactful military commander and skilled administrator, he steadily built his army from a mere two thousand soldiers to almost five-fold, and also developed a naval force. He defeated Afzal Khan and Adil Shah, giving strong resistance to the Mughal forces. From forming guerilla forces to immensely contributing in the development of the civilization of Marathas, he carved a niche in all spheres of operation. Shivaji: The Great Rebel explores the lifespan of Shivaji as an Indian king who instigated a new fire in the hearts of people against the Mughal Empire and taught them to fight for their rights. It highlights Shivaji as one of the prominent rulers to inspire people to fight for Hindu pride and raise their voice against cruelty. He stood up to guard and preserve the nation's honour, and is a great source of inspiration till date.