Book excerpt: Hindutva icon or secular nationalist? Feudal potentate or peasants\' king? Protector of cows and brahmans or shudra ruler? Medieval marauder or builder of an empire?//Who was Shivaji?//This punchy, readable book provides a new perspective on a popular hero of indian history. After this, Shivaji will never be the same again.//Govind Pansare was one of Maharashtra\'s most prominent public intellectuals. And among the bravest. He was felled by an assassin. But his rationalist view of human history is impossible to kill. This book is testimony to the power of ideas.