Main content

Shivaji: Dreaming Big

The 17th-century warrior-king is today a symbol of Hindu identity. Sunil explores his incarnation as a role model for dealmakers and networkers.

Shivaji was the 17th century warrior-king who challenged the Muslim Moghul Empire and today stands as a symbol of Hindu pride. Prof. Sunil Khilnani explores Shivaji's multiple incarnations, the latest of which is as a role model for corporate networkers and deal-makers.

Shivaji is the presiding spirit of the state of Maharashtra and its capital, Mumbai. The city's airport and main railway station are named after him and there are plans for a statue of Shivaji, twice the size of the Statue of Liberty, to be built out to sea from the city. His martial image, sword in hand, is a symbol of regional and Hindu identity. But Sunil Khilnani argues that Shivaji was a self-made man, the product of relentless self-improvement: "From relatively small beginnings, he plotted, sweated, and traded up to glory."

Prof. Khilnani discovers Shivaji's legacy in a gym in a working class neighbourhood of Mumbai and among career-minded pilgrims on a corporate bonding trip to the mountaintop site of Shivaji's coronation.

Producer: Jeremy Grange
Original music composed by Talvin Singh.

Available now

15 minutes

Last on

Fri 12 Feb 2016 02:15
大象传媒 Radio 4 Extra

More episodes

Previous

Dara Shikoh: The Meeting Place of the Two Oceans

Next

Nainsukh: Owner Transfixed by Goose

See all episodes from Incarnations: India in 50 Lives

  • The singers, saints, men and women featured in the series.

  • Try the world's most restrictive religious diet.

  • A look at the visual representations of The Buddha which emerged from the 1st century AD.

Clip

Broadcasts

  • Thu 4 Jun 2015 13:45
    大象传媒 Radio 4
  • Thu 11 Feb 2016 14:15
    大象传媒 Radio 4 Extra
  • Fri 12 Feb 2016 02:15
    大象传媒 Radio 4 Extra

Remarkable individuals who shaped India, and sometimes the world.

Remarkable individuals who shaped India, and sometimes the world.

Professor Sunil Khilnani introduces the second series of Incarnations.

Incarnations - The Podcast

Download all the episodes from the series and listen at your leisure.

Incarnations: Art and Music

The artists who created the illustrations and music for the series.

Podcast