Dr Abhay Firodia unveils Gift of the Sahyadris: The Story and Glory of Maharashtra

Pune : Gift of the Sahyadris: The Story and Glory of Maharashtra, a coffee table book spanning assorted millennia of the state’s past, was unveiled on Saturday by Dr Abhay Firodia, Chairman, Force Motors Ltd. The launch, a well-attended function, took place at the Navalmal Firodia  auditorium of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute (BORI). Published by Heritage India Communications Pvt Ltd, the book covers the period from the beginning of civilisation to the formation of the state of Maharashtra on May 1, 1960, even as it starts with a nod to pre-history and the first people of the land, the Adivasis.

Dr Firodia, who also chairs BORI’s Regulating Council, was Chief Guest. Senior archaeologists and Indologists Dr G.B. Deglurkar, former Chancellor of Deccan College, Pune, and Dr A.P. Jamkhedkar, former Chairman of the Indian Council of Historical Research, currently Chancellor of the Sir JJ School of Art, Architecture and Design (Deemed University), Mumbai, were Guests of Honour.

The book comes at a time when the world has begun to take notice of Maharashtra’s past. In 2025, twelve forts of the Maratha Military Landscapes were inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, joining Ajanta and Ellora. Gift of the Sahyadris tells the story behind these sites, and much more.

Speaking on the occasion, Manjiri Khandekar, CEO, Heritage India, said: “A society that does not know where it comes from cannot know where it is going. For nearly two decades, Heritage India has worked to give people that sense of rootedness, through our tours, our magazines and our books. We have always believed that history belongs not in locked archives but in living rooms, classrooms and everyday conversation. Our last work Punyakatha: Pune’s Story of a Million Years showed us how warmly readers respond when depth is matched by beauty. So, when Kalyani, the writer of Punyakatha, who has been writing for us for the last 12 years, proposed telling 2,000 years of Maharashtra’s story, there was no question of doing it in a small way. We decided to do it as a coffee-table book rigorous in its scholarship, generous in its visuals and a pleasure to hold.”

Journalist and author Kalyani Sardesai, who wrote and creatively visualised the book, said: “For too long, history has been treated as the property of specialists, shut away in footnotes and seminar rooms. But history is the story of the farmer and the soldier, the saint and the reformer, and the ordinary families whose choices, over centuries, shaped the world we live in. This book is our attempt to return that story to its rightful owners. We did not want to write one more textbook. We wanted to tell Maharashtra’s story the way it deserves to be told, with drama, poetry and feeling, without bending the facts.  Thus, every page was researched, debated, rewritten and checked with scholars until we were sure it was both true and alive.”

Maharashtra has long deserved a book of its own, Sardesai observed. It is neither North nor South. It has its own identity, with a culture as distinct as its landscape.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Abhay Firodia said: “When we write about history, we must remember that it was not knowledge alone, but trade, that made India one of the world’s foremost economies for nearly 5,000 years. Right up to 1750, India’s per capita income was among the highest in the world, and trade had much to do with it. In the same way, Maharashtra’s prosperity today rests on industrialisation, enterprise and skill-building. Ultimately, knowledge and culture must be buoyed by trade and expansion.”

Dr G.B. Deglurkar praised Heritage India for its work in bringing history to everyday readers.

Similarly Dr Arvind Jamkhedkar said: “A book like this is essential to narrate Maharashtra’s journey to the common man.”

At the heart of that story stand the Sahyadris. Far more than a mountain backdrop, the range forms part of the Western Ghats, one of the most biodiverse regions on earth. Its slopes catch the monsoon, give rise to the Godavari, Krishna and Bhima, and also lent themselves to the excavation of great cave monasteries. Centuries later, these same mountains became the natural bastions of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s Swarajya.

Written for readers aged 10 and above, the book moves through Maharashtra’s ancient, medieval and modern eras. It shows how the geography of the Sahyadris shaped the region’s history and explores its extraordinary rock-cut caves and forts. It traces how earlier setbacks prepared the ground for the rise of the region’s most remarkable son, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. It follows the rise and fall of the Peshwai and Maharashtra’s emergence as a crucible of education, journalism, social reform, cosmopolitanism and innovation. The story reaches its climax with the Samyukta Maharashtra Movement and the birth of the state on May 1, 1960.

The book’s research panel includes historians Dr Ajit Apte, Prof. P.K. Ghanekar and Dr Manjiri Bhalerao and it carries illustrations by Rahul Deshpande, Anant Dere, Tejas Modak and Madhumita Shinde.

This is not a book to read once and set aside. It is a collector’s item for families to enjoy across generations, and a natural fit for school libraries and home bookshelves. Released ahead of Diwali, it also makes for a worthy gift.