The Subhedar’s Son (Subhedārāchā Putra)

The annotated translation of the novel The Subhedar’s Son constitutes the main bulk of this book. The translation consists of fifteen chapters describing Rev. Shankar Balwant and his wife’s religious conversion to Christianity from a conservative Hindu Brahmin clan in 1849 at Nasik. These chapters closely explain the nature of the first Church Missionary Society mission in Nasik. The translation also describes the close interaction between the defeat of the Maratha Empire at British hands and the emotions of individual Brahmins, who converted to Christianity out of the feelings of frustration. While the first chapters discuss the Maratha defeat and the loss of Hindu grandeur, the latter part of the book unravels individual Brahmin expectations and the persecution faced by converts, despite intellectual ferment and conviction.