Siddharth Bezalwar

“It’s the Indian headshake. It means you are probably right, or probably wrong. Who knows? Varuna has but a thousand eyes, Indra a hundred, you and I only two.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, Olympus

“When Shivaji was barely fifteen, a Patil of a village called Ranjhe that fell into his jagir misbehaved with a woman. The Patil was summoned and the perpetrator could not believe that what he had done was indeed considered as a crime; it was his right, wasn’t it? First he started cursing, and then begging in the courtyard of Lal Mahal that was filled with people who had come from far and near to witness the court proceedings. With his mother sitting next to him and with Dadaji standing behind him, young Shivaji gave his verdict, pronouncing the Patil ‘guilty’ and handed over the punishment:‘Patil of Ranjhe, Taraf – Khedebare, Babaji Bhikaji Gujar, has committed an act of offence, while serving in his office as a Patil. The report of his actions has reached us – and his guilt has been proved beyond doubt. Thereupon, as per our orders, chop off his limbs, all four limbs.”
― Medha Deshmukh Bhaskaran, Challenging Destiny : A Biography of Chhatrapati Shivaji

“So it has been before. So it will be again.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, Olympus

“The idea of a powerful woman aware of her own desires made people uncomfortable and so she was portrayed as barbaric, even demonic, not in control of her passions.”
― Devdutt Pattanaik, Olympus