कान्होजी आंग्रे [Kanhoji Angrey]

by Manohar Malgonkar, P.L. Deshpande (Translator)

Author P. L. Deshpande has compiled the character sketch and the great performance of Kanhoji Angre in freedom struggle. Basically, he has translated the book in English written by Manohar Malgaonkar on the same topic.

With the aim that the great deeds compiled in English, should be known by all people, even those who know only Marathi, author P. L. Deshpande writes the book of Malgaonkar into Marathi.

After the death of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the Konkan part on the west coast of Maharashtra was made strong and defended from French, Dutch, Portugal, Brtish by Kanhoji Angre only.

Being a novel, it depicts the real background of the exact efforts and performance of Kanhoji Angre, and not only dramatic description. The language with all the historic details relating to Kanhoji Angre is very simple and understandable

Genres: History, Marathi, India, War

250 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1965

About the author

Manohar Malgonkar was an Indian author in the English language of both fiction and nonfiction.

Malgonkar was born in a royal family, and educated at Bombay University. He was an officer in the Maratha Light Infantry, a big game hunter, a civil servant, a mine owner and a farmer, and he also stood for parliament. Most of that activity was during the build up to Indian independence and its aftermath, often the settings for his works. The socio-historical milieu of those times form the backdrop of his novels, which are usually of action and adventure. He also wrote non-fiction, including biography and history.

Malgonkar lived in a remote bungalow, at some distance from the town of Belgaum, Karnataka. His only child Sunita (educated at the famous Lawrence School Sanawar) died at a young age.

Reviews

[Ashish Iyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a good book on Kanhoji Angrey and his times. Enjoyed reading it. It gave me better perspective on western ghat and coast. It's high time we give him his due credit. He deserves in our history books.

[Naveen Sharma · Rating 5 out of 5]

मनोहर मालगोंकर की पुस्तक The Sea Hawk: Life and Battles of Kanhoji Angrey का अध्ययन पूरा किया है, वह वास्तव में केवल एक जीवनी नहीं, बल्कि भारतीय समुद्री इतिहास और ईस्ट इंडिया कंपनी के प्रारंभिक दौर की राजनीति, साजिशों और टकरावों पर भी गहरी रोशनी डालती है।
थोड़ा विस्तार से कहें तो –
1. कान्होजी आंग्रे का व्यक्तित्व
कान्होजी आंग्रे (1669–1729) मराठा साम्राज्य के नौसेना सरदार (एडमिरल) थे।
उन्होंने पश्चिमी तट पर, विशेषकर कोंकण और महाराष्ट्र की समुद्री सीमा पर, एक सशक्त नौसैनिक तंत्र विकसित किया।
उन्हें "भारत का पहला एडमिरल" भी कहा जाता है।
उनकी रणनीति, साहस और समुद्री युद्ध कौशल ने यूरोपीय शक्तियों – पुर्तगाली, डच और अंग्रेजों – को गहरी चुनौती दी।
2. मराठा नौसेना की शक्ति
पुस्तक यह दर्शाती है कि मराठों की शक्ति केवल भूमि पर नहीं थी, बल्कि समुद्र में भी उनका दबदबा था।
कान्होजी ने छोटे लेकिन तेज जहाजों की मदद से बड़े-बड़े यूरोपीय युद्धपोतों को परास्त किया।
वे "प्राइवेटियर" यानी समुद्री डाकू नहीं थे, बल्कि अपने राज्य और तटवर्ती व्यापार की रक्षा करने वाले वैधानिक नौसैनिक सरदार थे।
3. ईस्ट इंडिया कंपनी का भारत में प्रारंभिक संघर्ष
इस जीवनी के बहाने लेखक ने यह भी दिखाया है कि 17वीं-18वीं शताब्दी में ईस्ट इंडिया कंपनी अभी भारत में पूरी तरह स्थापित नहीं हुई थी।
समुद्री मार्ग पर आंग्रे की पकड़ और उनके जहाजों के कारण अंग्रेजों का व्यापार कई बार ठप पड़ जाता था।
यह वह समय था जब अंग्रेजों को भारत में टिकने के लिए सिर्फ राजनीतिक ही नहीं, बल्कि समुद्री शक्ति के स्तर पर भी संघर्ष करना पड़ा।
4. इतिहास और साहित्य का मिश्रण
मणोहर मालगोंकर की लेखन शैली ऐतिहासिक तथ्यों को रोचक कथा के रूप में प्रस्तुत करती है।
इस कारण यह पुस्तक केवल इतिहास प्रेमियों के लिए ही नहीं, बल्कि सामान्य पाठकों के लिए भी पठनीय और आकर्षक हो जाती है।
5. आधुनिक संदर्भ
कान्होजी आंग्रे का जीवन यह याद दिलाता है कि भारतीय समुद्री परंपरा कितनी सशक्त रही है।
आज भी जब भारत अपनी समुद्री सीमाओं और नौसेना को मजबूत करने की बात करता है, तो कान्होजी आंग्रे जैसे ऐतिहासिक व्यक्तित्व प्रेरणा का स्रोत बनते हैं।
संक्षेप में, यह पुस्तक एक व्यक्ति की जीवनी से आगे बढ़कर उस दौर की राजनीतिक, सैन्य और वाणिज्यिक पृष्ठभूमि का संपूर्ण चित्र प्रस्तुत करती है—जहाँ मराठा नौसेना ने भारत के समुद्र तटों की रक्षा की और अंग्रेजों को उनकी प्रारंभिक महत्वाकांक्षाओं में बार-बार चुनौती दी।

[Nikhil Gopal · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrated history of the first Maratha Admiral-Kanhoji Angrey.The Indian Neavy is blessed by his great work and tactise.

[Linus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life story of forgotten hero of Maratha Empire.

[Vismay · Rating 5 out of 5]

In British literature on Raj, Indians have always been described as weak-willed & ignorant, vile, vicious & lacking in moral fiber. This was usually juxtaposed with how strong, competent and disciplined the British were – whether kind or cruel, there were the ultimate paragon of virtue – they deserved to rule India and loot it with thorough impunity.

Looking towards other colonizers’ literature also didn’t produce satisfactory result. I had a chance to read a translation of a terrible French novel ‘Once upon a time in India: The Marvelous adventures of Captain Corcoran’ wherein Indians were again described as unruly savages in want of discipline from their European masters like Captain Corcoran. Never tried Dutch or Portuguese literature, but given the barbarity in which they operated in the country – have no interest in what moral justifications they would end up providing for their cruelty.

‘The Sea Hawk’ by Manohar Malgonkar – detailing the life & battles of the Maratha naval commander Kanhoji Angrey comes as a welcome respite. Now here was a leader whose army / navy fought on sea and land against Britishers, Dutch, Portuguese, Mughals and their vassals, and achieved decisive victory in almost all the battles against a “superior” and advanced navy of European colonizers. The ‘Lord of Konkan’ was an astute strategist, excellent swordsman, master mariner leading the Marathas from one victory to another.
What struck me the most while reading this book – the Britishers were described / historically-documented to be weak, conniving, scuttling away at the first sign of danger, petty, undisciplined, unruly and undignified, the attributes normally associated with us, brute indigenous barbarians. Manohar Malgonkar has a wry, biting humor and he employs it to fullest extent to describe the utter ignominy in which these early colonizers were handed defeat by the Maratha commander. It was fun to read about these battles, gloat and guffaw in sheer vicarious pleasure when these Europeans got their asses handed to them by an Indian.

Britishers weren’t so great after all. They didn’t win India because they were high and mighty, they were just plain lucky that there was a power vacuum and infighting amongst other kingdoms.

Thank you, Mr. Malgonkar, for reminding us of this fact.

[Livre_monde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Manohar Malgonkar, often acclaimed as a master storyteller for his narrative skills, wrote his first book, The Sea Hawk (originally Kanhoji Angre), in 1959. Bringing to life the geo-political history of India in the Konkan region of the 17th and early 18th century, in this book Malgonkar not only talks about Kanhoji Angre, an astute Maratha Naval chief (also known as the lord of Konkan), but also touches upon some of the critical political changes happening in the Konkan region of that time which saw the death of Chhatrapati Shivaji and the declining power of the Maratha kingdom, the rise of the Siddies, the declining influence of Dutch and Portuguese, atrocities of Aurangzeb and, a new entrant trying to strengthen its foothold in India, the East India Company. 


Amid the political chaos of the 18th century, Konkan saw the rise of Kanhoji Angre, who not only strengthened the hold of the Maratha kingdom in the Konkan coastal region but also became known for attacking and capturing British, Dutch, and Portuguese merchant ships and collecting dastak (a form of tax). Kanhoji's naval prowess in capturing dozens of European trading ships and avoiding capture has led many historians to appraise Kanhoji as the most skilled Indian navy chief in the maritime history of India. 


About Malgonkar's narration skills, all the praises are less. Only he could write history in a dramatically engaging way of fiction. Let there be no doubt that history was Malgonkar’s forte. He is the first Indian writer in English to make profuse use of history in his creative writing. 

He fuses literary imagination with historical facts effortlessly. He weaves his stories keeping the two elements — history and literature — at a proper distance with the result that the novels are neither boring like historical accounts nor questionable for having tampered with facts.

[Craartology · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve often wondered about the fate of the Maratha Empire after Shivaji. Always finding various gaps in the bigger picture, which made it difficult to solve my doubts about the sustenence and expansion of the empire. I was on a constant hunt to find accounts that articulate the detailed scenario thereafter and this book gave me my answers. The Sea Hawk is an account of history, presented as fiction that’s the closest to the real history in terms of events and accuracy.

Atrocities by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, corruption, indiscipline and greed of the colonial intrusion of the Portuguese, Dutch and the treacherous British (The East India Company) and their relations with the Maratha leaders, particularly Kanhoji Angrey, the second most honorable Maratha leader after Shivaji. The man who ruled the waters of the Konkan and unabashedly protected and faught for the people of his kingdom Angrey exudes virtues of bravery, diplomacy and foresight. While reading The Sea Hawk, one often questions the mind and temperament of a colonizer, one who came to trade but planned to convert or destroy an already existing culture to expand the colonial influence.

The very thin line between ambition and greed, honour and ego time and again come to the surface when one reads about battles faught, rampant raids and killings under the guise of law. An earnest need to establish one’s foothold by all means, be it diplomacy or war have graced the history of this land fertile with opportunities.

This brilliant book is a detailed history of the Deccan and Konkan is the most readable account of factual history I’ve ever come across. Seamlessly narrated, gripping and sharp. A highly recommended book, which opens avenues and completes the loops of historical significance of the Deccan and coastal Indian sub-continent.

[Ashwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Indians, for the most part, have been poor chroniclers of their own history. Certain places, people, and kingdoms have been better than others but overall it was the British who lead us to rediscovering ourselves.

The Sea hawk is about a somewhat forgotten player in the history of the Marathas, who are the best recorded pre-modern empire in India, the immediate predecessors to Company reign and the British Raj.

Malgonkar has crafted a fast-moving narrative and imbued these characters with insightful understanding of their characters and personality by reading through the lines of otherwise dry, official communications and military actions.

Although it starts off strong with a focus of setting the political and cultural scene, what you find is that details about Kanhoji Angrey himself is sparse. He acts mostly as a guide into 18th century Indian historical stories by bumping against its major players - the Marathas, Mughals, and East Indian Company.

Halfway through the narrative, for example tilts heavily in favor of the British narrative, no doubt because their record keeping was superb. You begin to wonder if the book you're reading is about the EIC entirely.

That being said, Angreys life is an amazing credit to Indians that he was able to hold off the naveys and armies of the British, Portugese, Dutch, and Mughals, through a combination of strategy, diplomacy and military action.

And despite the dearth of details, it's a treat to read so much about a history that I definitely did not think had any documentation at all

[Atul Sharma · Rating 4 out of 5]

💭Imagine being able to pen down a perfect blend of what goes inside your mind and as well as on the outside. How many of you can Imagine !? A bunch of people would say yes and the rest wouldn't. I've got your back the "Rest and Left people", now this Bookset comes into play.

👀 After reading a handful of various Fiction works, I can say that these ones are the right fit for you if you want to read some real classic India Fiction works, the ones that you can relate with.

📣There aren't many works present that justifies the need of portraying the Indian culture and heritage into their works apart from non fiction. Though being written decades ago these works of Manohar Malgonakar have the essence of both Indian culture and heritage, that's very rare to sight for even nowadays.

📣He has been a writer, a columnist, a army officer, a civil servant and a miner. One can precisely see that the inspiration he took from these roles into portraying the events and people around them into his works. The mentioned books, capture different stories around the same timelines, with various aspects.

📌The best thing I've liked about these works is the emotional and philosophical portrayal of the character towards the situations and events in their life. These are moderate sized books.

📌If you find yourself related to what's mentioned above and wish to read something different yet relatable to the Indian culture then this might be the right choice for you.

[Bandita · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is set in the 17th century India when Chhatrapati Shivaji’s dominion has been established over the Deccan Peninsula. The Maratha empire is worried by the increasing European threat along the Konkan coast, and thus, they turn to the master mariner, Kanhoji Angrey, who is also an excellent swordsman and astute strategist.

Prior to reading this book, I had no idea who Kanhoji Angrey was. I apologise but history was never my strongest pursuit. He was known as ‘Angria the Pirate’ and this book was an account of his life, his adventures, and his naval campaigns.

Once again, I am amazed by Manohar Malgonkar’s storytelling. Having loved his other book, A Bend In The Ganges, I am now truly a fan of his storytelling and writing. The story flows fluidly and the narration is amazing. I really admired Kanhoji and the author was able to bring him come to life with his words.

Overall, this was an enjoyable and interesting read for me because not only did I enjoy my time reading this book but also I learnt about Kanhoji Angrey and his achievements. This book was highly engaging and I would definitely recommend this book.

[Douglas Misquita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Malgonkar's history reads like a thriller!

Beautifully 'composed', this history of Kanojiya Angrey, delves into the geopolitical and religious intrigue that dominated the Konkan in the 1700s. Malgonkar is accurate, honest, sarcastic, humourous, witty, and holds no punches.

[Sagar Namdev · Rating 1 out of 5]

this was a exacting book.

[Ganesh Datar · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great biography almost feels like a thriller.

[Shrikant · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a fascinating account of the life and times of Kanhoji Angrey, a prominent ruler of Konkan and one of the most powerful figures in the region during his era. Despite the lack of concrete historical writings, the author skillfully weaves together a gripping narrative of Konkan's history, using it as a backdrop for Kanhoji's story.

The book delves into the various entities involved in Konkan, including the British, Dutch, Portuguese, Siddi (Mughal), and others. It covers the battles that occurred among these groups, the treaties they made, and the attacks they launched against each other's ships. Throughout it all, Kanhoji Angrey emerges as a formidable force, feared and respected by all.

The author paints a vivid picture of the political and social landscape of Konkan during Kanhoji's time, providing readers with a comprehensive understanding of the historical context. The book's crowning achievement, however, is the author's assertion that if the foreign powers along the coast of Konkan in the early 18th century were asked to nominate a common enemy, they would all have chosen Kanhoji Angrey.

In conclusion, this book is a must-read for anyone interested in Indian history, particularly the history of Konkan. The author's thorough research and engaging writing style make for an immersive reading experience that will leave you with a newfound appreciation for the fascinating figure of Kanhoji Angrey.