Weapons expert proves his ‘metal’

PUNE: Superior Turkishmade swords may have literally given Ahmed Shah Abdali a decisive edge over the Marathas in the battle of Panipat, which changed the course of history in the subcontinent.
Lighter, harder swords and canons developed in Turkey finally turned the tide on the fearless Marathas, who were expanding their empire in every direction, says oriental weapons expert Rakesh Dhavde.
Dhavde recently put together an exhibition of arms and ammunition from the Peshwa era at Vishrambaugwada here, as part of the Shaniwarwada festival earlier this week.
While infighting, treachery and other misfortunes are often cited as the causes for the debacle at Panipat, there is seldom a mention of Abdali’s judicious use of Turkish made light-weight armour and weaponry such as portable swivelling canons, pulled from camelback, tabar and jagnol (axe and crowbill for breaking armour); steel bows, horn bows and sherbachha (blunderbuss), he said.
And the founder of the Insitute of Oriental Studies and Arms and Armour should know. For his forefathers were blacksmiths in the Peshwas army. “The Marathas had to do with ghongdis (rough woollen blankets) for armour.� He used some of the expertise acquired through the generations in the production of Vinay Apte’s ambitious teleserial on Shivaji’s life.
Among his latest projects was the work on Jayu and Nachiket’s film on Ahilyadevi Holkar (starring Shabana Azmi in the title role).
Dhavde, who also helped the Archaeological Survey of India set up a war memorial at Panipat two years ago, laments the diminishing interest in the art of weaponmaking.
“Through the institute, I intend to launch course, just to preserve knowledge of the traditional skills of weapon-making.� At present, however, he is busy setting up a full-fledged library of Indian weaponry in Pune.