१८५७ का स्वातन्त्र्य समर (वीर विनायक दामोदर सावरकर - अंग्रेजों द्वारा छपने से पूर्व प्रतिबन्धित महाग्रन्थ)

THE VOLCANO
noble souls that could entertain in their hearts the grand
and holy ambition of Swaraj. They are two crusaders in
the Holy War, glorious even in their defeat. Therefore,
O readers, stand up in all awe and reverence, for the noble
figures of Nana Sahib Peshwa and the Queen of Jhansi
are coming on the stage of History !
We do not know which to describe more—the splendour
of the mountain tops of Matheran in the holy Maha-
rashtra, or the green, velvet-soft, grassy meadows adorning
the feet of those hills. In the lap of the graceful plateau
below, almost overhung by the sky-reaching peaks of the
Matheran, there nestled a tiny little village called Venu,
heightening the beauty of the already beautiful region.
Among the old and respectable families of Venu, the
family of Madhavrao Narayan Bhatt was the most promi-
nent. Madhavrao and his noble wife Gangabai, though
living in circumstances of domestic poverty, were happy
in the enjoyment of mutual love. In the small house of
this good family, all faces beamed with joy and happi-
ness in 1824, for the good Gangabai had given birth to a
son. That son of Madhavrao and Gangabai was no other
than the Peshwa Nana Sahib, at the very sound of whose
name the Feringhi shudders with fear,—that same Nana
who has made his name immortal in history as a hero
who fought for liberty and for his country.
About the same time, the last Bajirao had abdicated
his throne and was leading a life of retirement on the
banks of Ganges. Many Maratha families had followed
him and, hearing that Bajirao was generous enough to
support them in good state on his pension, many new
families also emigrated thither. Among the latter was
the family of Madhavrao, who went to Brahmavarta in
1827 to seek the generosity of Bajirao. There, the little
son of Madhavrao captivated the heart of Bajirao, and
little Nana Sahib became a great favourite of the whole
Durbar. His spirit even in childhood, his serious mien,
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