Mazha Pravas Analysis

Mazha Pravas is a historical travelogue written by Vishnubhat Godse. The original text was written in Marathi (in Modi script) nearly twenty- three years after Vishnubhat Godse and his uncle Rambhat’s return from their trip from Central India and around. The trip spanned over three years from 1857 to 1860. The book was written by Vishnubhat Godse, after Bharatacharya C V Vaidya had insisted that he write the details of the entire trip as a way of recording an important event in history. Mazha Pravas was published by CV Vaidya, in the year 1907, to adhere to Godse’s request that it only be published after his death to avoid problems with the British colonisers at the time. The book was published after Vaidya had edited the book and changed

However, the book is divided into chapters. The translation by Mrinal Pande reads more like a fictional novel rather than a non-fictional travelogue. The translated work also lacks in providing a lot of background or details, which might become quite challenging for a reader who has little to no knowledge about the context which resulted in the book to be written. However, the translator does provide with some information, for instance, the translation establishes that the setting of the book is the time period when ‘the Mughals began to weaken” and “the Maratha Peshwa in Pune grew”. It also narrates how the Peshwa managed the matters of the court and how he handled all the territories. However, it again lacks to provide information about the Karade Brahmins, who eventually ruled Jhansi, and how it came about. The ‘story’ in this particular translation just flows, like the narration in a fictional novel. The translator has also avoided using Sanskrit terms, to perhaps make it more readable for a wider audience who do not understand Sanskrit. However, the translator could have included Sanskrit terms, and provided additional information or added a glossary for a better understanding rather than just completely editing the words