AKHERCHI LADHAI - THE LAST FIGHT
BASED ON THE LIFE OF SAWAI MADHAVRAO PESHWA AND NANA PHADNAVISS LIFE, THIS NOVEL BRINGS IN LIGHT THE MANY INCIDENCES UNKNOWN. FOR ALMOST 24 YEARS, NANA PHADNAVIS WAS ACTIVELY PARTICIPATING IN THE RULING DURING THE PESHWAS REGIME. BOTH PARENTS OF THE SAWAI MADHAVRAO PESHWA DIED UNTIMELY. THEREAFTER, THE YOUNG SAWAI MADHAVRAOS POSITION HAD BECOME QUITE VULNERABLE. IT WAS NANA WHO LOOKED AFTER HIM DURING THAT TESTING PERIOD. HE CONSIDERED THE YOUNGSTER AS HIS OWN SON BUT NEVER TOOK UNDUE ADVANTAGE OF HIS OWN POSITION. IN THE NAME OF SAWAI MADHAVRAO, NANA LOOKED AFTER THE REGIME. SEEKING THE OPPORTUNITY, THE NIZAM TRIED TO CONQUER THE REGION UNDER THE CONTROL OF THE MARATHA. NANA CALL IN FOR A WAR. HIS WITTINESS WAS AT THE BEST. HE WAS ALSO FAVOURED BY DESTINY FOR ONCE. NIZAM HAD TO ACCEPT DEFEAT AND SIGN THE TREATY AS PER NANAS CONDITIONS. NANA PHADNAVIS, THUS HAD TO FIGHT THE INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL ENEMIES SO AS TO PROTECT THE PESHWA AND HIS RULE.
अखेरची लढाई ही कादंबरी सवाई माधवराव पेशवे आणि नाना फडणीसांच्या जीवनातील विविध घटना-प्रसंगांवर आधारित आहे. नाना फडणीस उणीपुरी दोन तपे पेशवाईच्या कारभारात होते. सवाई माधवराव पेशव्यांच्या माता-पित्याचे अकाली निधन झाल्यानंतर पेशवाईचा वारस म्हणून त्यांनी सवाई माधवरावांची डोळ्यांत तेल घालून काळजी घेतली. त्यांचा आपल्या पुत्राप्रमाणे सांभाळ केला. माधवराव लहान असल्याने नानाच पेशव्यांच्या वतीने सर्व निर्णय घेत आणि राज्यकारभार पाहात असत. याच कालावधीत मुजोर झालेल्या निजामाला अद्दल घडविण्यासाठी नानांनी युद्ध पुकारले आणि आपल्या चातुर्याने (व दैवाची साथ लाभल्याने) ते जिंकून निजामाला सर्व अटी मान्य करायला लावून, शरण येण्यास भाग पाडले. पेशवे आणि दौलतीसाठी नाना फडणीसांना असाच परकीयांचा आणि स्वकीयांचाही सामना करावा लागला.