Govind Sakharam Sardesai (17 May 1865 – 29 November 1959), popularly known as ''Riyasatkar Sardesai'', was a historian from
Maharashtra
Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...
, India.
Through his ''Riyasats'' written in
Marathi
Marathi may refer to:
*Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India
*Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people
*Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece
See also
*
* ...
, Sardesai presented an account of over 1,000 years of the
Indian history
According to consensus in modern genetics, anatomically modern humans first arrived on the Indian subcontinent from Africa between 73,000 and 55,000 years ago. Quote: "Y-Chromosome and Mt-DNA data support the colonization of South Asia by m ...
until 1848. He also wrote the three-volume ''New History of Marathas'' in English.
Sardesai's work was recognised with a
Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...
award from the
Government of India
The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...
in 1957.
Biography
Sardesai was born in a middle-class
Brahmin
Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (guru ...
family in the village of Gowil in
Ratnagiri District
Ratnagiri District (Marathi pronunciation: ət̪n̪aːɡiɾiː is a district in the state of Maharashtra, India. The administrative headquarter of the district is located in the town of Ratnagiri. The district is 11.33% urban. The district ...
. He received his high school education in
Ratnagiri
Ratnagiri (IAST:Ratnāgirī ; ət̪n̪aːɡiɾiː is a port city on the Arabian Sea coast in Ratnagiri District in the southwestern part of Maharashtra, India. The district is a part of Konkan division of Maharashtra. The city is known for ...
, and college education in
Pune
Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million ...
and
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
. Then he joined the service of the princely state of
Baroda
Vadodara (), also known as Baroda, is the second largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Vadodara district and is situated on the banks of the Vishwamitri River, from the state capital ...
in 1889. Shortly thereafter,
Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III
Sayajirao Gaekwad III (born Shrimant Gopalrao Gaekwad; 11 March 1863 – 6 February 1939) was the Maharaja of Baroda State from 1875 to 1939, and is remembered for reforming much of his state during his rule. He belonged to the royal Gae ...
appointed him as his personal secretary, and subsequently as a tutor of the princes.
With encouragement from the Maharaja and availing himself of access to the large collection of books and historical papers in the royal library, Sardesai compiled voluminous historical data and wrote several books.
He often accompanied the Maharaja during the latter's trips to the UK, US, and Europe; this helped Sardesai to broaden his outlook of history.
Sardesai wrote eight volumes of ''Marathi Riyasat'', three volumes of ''Musalmani Riyasat'', and two volumes of ''British Riyasat''.
Historian
Tryambak Shankar Shejwalkar had worked as his assistant in the above endeavour. Shejwalkar had written the preface to one of his volumes on
Peshwas
The Peshwa (Pronunciation: e(ː)ʃʋaː was the appointed (later becoming hereditary) prime minister of the Maratha Empire of the Indian subcontinent. Originally, the Peshwas served as subordinates to the Chhatrapati (the Maratha king); later ...
; Sardesai asked him to write the preface because Shejwalkar held some contrary historical views.
After retiring from service at
Baroda
Vadodara (), also known as Baroda, is the second largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Vadodara district and is situated on the banks of the Vishwamitri River, from the state capital ...
state in 1925, Sardesai settled in the village of Kamshet near
Pune
Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million ...
. In accord with a suggestion from
Jadunath Sarkar
Sir Jadunath Sarkar (10 December 1870 – 19 May 1958) was a prominent Indian historian and a specialist on the Mughal dynasty.
Academic career
Sarkar was born in Karachmaria village in Natore, Bengal to Rajkumar Sarkar, the local Zamindar ...
, the government of
Bombay
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
asked Sardesai to take up the work of editing and publishing
Peshwa
The Peshwa (Pronunciation: e(ː)ʃʋaː was the appointed (later becoming hereditary) prime minister of the Maratha Empire of the Indian subcontinent. Originally, the Peshwas served as subordinates to the Chhatrapati (the Maratha king); later, ...
''daftar''. He examined almost 35,000 documents, comprising 27,332 in
Modi
Narendra Damodardas Modi (; born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician serving as the 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Parliament from ...
Marathi
Marathi may refer to:
*Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India
*Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people
*Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece
See also
*
* ...
; 7,482 in
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
; 129 in
Gujarati
Gujarati may refer to:
* something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India
* Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat
* Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them
* Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub ...
; and 29 in
Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
. Subsequently, he published 45 volumes of
Peshwa
The Peshwa (Pronunciation: e(ː)ʃʋaː was the appointed (later becoming hereditary) prime minister of the Maratha Empire of the Indian subcontinent. Originally, the Peshwas served as subordinates to the Chhatrapati (the Maratha king); later, ...
''daftar'' consisting of 7,801 pages and covering 8,650 documents.
Later, jointly with Sarkar, Sardesai edited and published ''Poona Residency Correspondence'' consisting of 7,193 pages and covering 4,159 letters. With the help of some newly discovered sources, he wrote at his age 80, ''The New History of Marathas''.
Sardesai died at Kamshet on 29 November 1959 at the age of 94.
Works
Sardasai wrote all of his works in Marathi except for the last three in the following list, which he had written in English.
*''Musalmani Riyasat''
*''Marathi Riyasat''
*''British Riyasat''
*''Peshwe Daftar''
*''Aitihasik Wanshawali''
*''Aitihasik Gharani''
*''Aitihasik Patrawyawahar''
*''Aitihasik Patrabodh''
*''Mahadaji Shinde Yanchi Patre''
*''Anupuran''
*''Paramanand Kawyam''
*''Sardesai Gharanyacha Itihas''
*''Shyamkantachi Patre''
*''Poona Residency Correspondence''
*''Main Currents of Maratha History''
*''The New History of Marathas''
Honours
*1937 - Honoured with the title 'Rav Bahaddur'
*1946 - Golden Award with the title 'Itihas Martand' at
Dhule
Dhule is a city located in the Dhule District in the northwestern part of Maharashtra state, India known as West Khandesh. Situated on the banks of Panzara River, Dhule is the regional headquarters of MIDC, RTO, and MTDC.
The city is mainly kn ...
*1947 - Honoured by
Baroda
Vadodara (), also known as Baroda, is the second largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Vadodara district and is situated on the banks of the Vishwamitri River, from the state capital ...
State
*1951 - President, Bharatiya Itihas Parishad
*1951 - Doctor of Literature conferred by
University of Pune
Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU), formerly the University of Poona, is a collegiate public state university located in the city of Pune, India. It was established in 1949, and is spread over a campus in the neighbourhood of Ganeshk ...
*1957 - Padma Bhushan award from the Government of India
References
*
Biography
A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or ...
in ''Marathi Riyasat'' Volume I
*
Autobiography
An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life.
It is a form of biography.
Definition
The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...
''Majhi Sansaryatra''
*''Shejwalkar Lekh Sangraha'' by
Tryambak Shankar Shejwalkar
*''Riyasatkar Sardesai'' by Prof. S. S. Puranik
*''Riyasatkar'' by Prof. S. S. Puranik
*Rishitarpan by Prof. S. S. Puranik (2014) (ऋषितर्पण - प्रा. श. श्री. पुराणिक)
See also
*List of
Historians
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the stu ...
*
List of historians by area of study
This is a list of historians categorized by their area of study. See also List of historians.
By time period
Ancient history
* Sedat Alp (1913, Veroia, The Ottoman Empire - 2006, Ankara, Türkiye) Hittitolog- Historian, Ancient Anatolian
* E ...
*List of
Padmabhushan
*
List of Marathi people
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby unio ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sardesai, Govind Sakharam
1865 births
1959 deaths
Marathi-language writers
Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in literature & education
People from Ratnagiri district
19th-century Indian historians
History of Maharashtra
20th-century Indian historians