The Peshwa's Paralysis: Nana Sahib's Tuberculosis and Absent Leadership (November 1760)

Marathi History Book Reading Session Summary

The Peshwa's Crisis: Health and Helplessness

Nana Sahib's Departure from Pune

The Timeline:

• Middle of November 1760
• Left Pune for Ahmadnagar
• November 17: left from Daund
• Came to Siddhatek
• Planned to camp for a few days

The Reason:

• Sick with tuberculosis (TB)
• Losing weight very rapidly
• Classic TB symptoms manifesting
• Physical deterioration accelerating
• Health crisis deepening

The Disease: Tuberculosis in India

The Nature of TB:

• Bacterial infection (root cause)
• Spreads through poor conditions
• Triggered by malnutrition
• Worsened by damp living conditions
• Exacerbated by lack of exercise

The Social Context:

• "Typical Indian disease"
• Mumbai heavily affected (slums, monsoon)
• Overcrowded cities = high transmission
• Poor nutrition creates vulnerability
• Damp monsoon season = prime conditions

The Medical Reality:

• No medicine available at time
• No cure possible then
• Death ultimately certain
• Progressive wasting disease
• Slow decline to death

The TB Dynamics: Poor Living and Disease

Why TB Thrived

The Contributing Factors:

• Improper eating/insufficient nutrition
• Damp living conditions
• Lack of exercise/physical activity
• Crowded spaces
• Poor sanitation

The Modern Parallel:

• Mumbai still struggles with TB
• Slums = TB epicenter
• Monsoon season = worst period
• Poor nutrition = vulnerability
• Overcrowding = transmission

The Timeline to Death:

• Progressive weight loss
• Increasing weakness
• Declining energy
• Susceptibility to infections
• Eventually fatal

The Strategic Consequence: Absent Leadership

What Couldn't Happen

The Missed Opportunity:

• Peshwa should have sent 30,000 troops
• Attack Abdali's rear from Pune direction
• Create pincer movement
• Would have changed battle outcome
• Would have cornered Abdali

The Timeline:

• Takes 1-2 months to reach Panipat
• Battle delayed anyway
• Would have arrived in time
• Would have been decisive
• But never happened

Why It Didn't Happen

The Multiple Failures:

1. TB making Peshwa weak
2. No warrior spirit for bold action
3. Didn't understand situation gravity
4. Lacked knowledge from distant north
5. No confidence in military action

The Personality Gap:

• His father (Bajirao I): outstanding warrior
• Son: not warrior-spirited
• More suited to administration
• Better at court politics
• Lacked aggressive instinct

Bhau's Letters and Unspoken Crisis

The Contents

Vishwasrao's Plea:

• Letter from younger brother to father
• Claiming Bhau won't tell the truth
• "Your brother is one of a kind"
• "He will sacrifice himself on altar"
• "Without resources, we're doomed"

The Subtext:

• Bhau projecting confidence publicly
• Actually desperate privately
• Can't admit weakness to Peshwa
• Doesn't want to lose face
• Pride preventing honest communication

The Information Gap

The Problem:

• Peshwa sitting in Pune
• Doesn't understand north situation
• Thinks Mughals are weak = easy win
• Doesn't see the real threat
• Doesn't know Afghans more formidable

The Crisis:

• Supplies running short
• Funds running short
• They're "in a pickle"
• Can't start battle hastily
• Consequences will be devastating

The Military Situation

The Stalemate Status

The Reality:

• Bundeli couldn't cut supplies
• Abdali won't attack
• Both sides stuck
• Minor skirmishes only
• No resolution

The Logic:

• Whoever runs out first: loses
• Supply depletion = defeat
• They want to tire enemy out
• Whoever's army breaks first: loses
• Agreement to unfavorable surrender terms

The Problem:

• This strategy unsustainable
• Both armies running low
• Time not their friend
• Must resolve soon
• Tension mounting

The Political Dimension: The Bigger Picture

What This War Was Really About

The Territory Dispute:

• Boundary between Afghanistan and India
• Punjab = the contested region
• Abdali claims it as his territory
• Marathas say it belongs to Mughal India
• Neither will concede

The Afghan Position:

• Abdali appointed his own subedar (governor)
• Posted his own officials in Punjab
• Claims ownership of territory
• Keeps returning to exploit it
• Refuses permanent withdrawal

The Maratha Position:

• "That's not going to happen"
• Won't let Afghans claim Indian territory
• Wanted all Indian powers to unite against him
• Wanted to draw boundary at Afghanistan
• Unwilling to compromise

The Coalition That Never Was

Bhau's Vision:

• All Indian powers unite against foreign invader
• Defend territory together
• Common cause against Afghans
• Maratha leadership coordinating defense
• India responding as one

The Reality:

• Only Marathas fighting
• Rajputs didn't join
• Suraj Mal Jat didn't join
• Suja Uddaula remained ambiguous (trapped)
• No unified Indian response

The Consequence:

• Marathas alone against Afghans
• Can't expect help from others
• Must rely on own resources
• Abandoned by potential allies
• Fighting for all of India but supported by none

The Leadership Problem

Bhau's Dual Failure

The Political Failure:

• Couldn't unite Indian powers
• Couldn't build coalition
• Couldn't create common cause
• Failed as statesman
• Left isolated

The Military Failure:

• Got personally involved in fighting
• Should have been coordinating overall strategy
• "Not supposed to get on ground fighting"
• Role confusion: warrior vs. general
• Fighting like soldier instead of commanding like general

The Both/And Problem:

• Not a good politician
• Not a good commander either
• Failed at statecraft
• Failed at generalship
• Wrong person for job that required both

The Peshwa's Absent Hand

What Leadership Should Have Done

The Options Available:

• Send significant reinforcements south
• Create rear-attack threat
• Force Abdali to split forces
• Relief for northern army
• Option for compromise settlement

Why It Didn't Happen:

• TB making him weak
• No warrior spirit for bold action
• Didn't understand gravity
• No confidence in military decisions
• Paralyzed by disease and doubt

The Impact

The Consequence:

• Northern army truly alone
• Can't expect southern help
• Must solve problem with own forces
• No safety net available
• All-or-nothing situation

The Convergence of Failures

The Perfect Storm

The Contributing Factors:

1. Bhau's pride preventing honest reporting
2. Peshwa's TB preventing bold action
3. Peshwa's lack of warrior spirit
4. Distance preventing real-time coordination
5. Coalition never formed
6. Bundele unable to execute
7. Supplies dwindling
8. Money running out

The Result:

• Army abandoned
• Leadership paralyzed
• Resources failing
• Coalition nonexistent
• Stalemate unsustainable
• Crisis inevitable

The TB Context: Disease as Metaphor

The Literal Problem

The Physical Reality:

• Nana Sahib dying from TB
• Getting weaker monthly
• Losing weight progressively
• Declining energy severely
• Death approaching

The Weakness It Caused:

• Can't make bold decisions
• Can't undertake physical hardship
• Can't pursue aggressive strategy
• Can't personally lead forces
• Can't inspire confidence

The Metaphorical Problem

What It Represents:

• Peshwa authority declining
• Central power weakening
• Leadership capability failing
• Strategic vision corrupted
• Command authority lost

The Consequence:

• Bhau given autonomy he might not deserve
• Decisions made in power vacuum
• No check on Bhau's confidence
• No wisdom from experienced leader
• Younger generation left to themselves

The Tragic Irony

The Timing

The Bad Luck:

• Bhau needed northern support
• Peshwa most able to provide it
• Peshwa getting weaker from TB
• Weakest moment for bold action
• Unavailable when most needed

The Parallel:

• Bhau fighting for territory
• Peshwa fighting for health
• Both losing
• Both inadequate for role
• Both failing at critical moment

Key Themes

1. Disease as Disability - TB making Peshwa ineffective
2. Absent Leadership - Peshwa paralyzed by illness
3. Pride Preventing Help - Bhau won't ask Peshwa for aid
4. The Coalition That Wasn't - Bhau alone against Afghans
5. The Warrior Deficiency - Peshwa not warrior-spirited
6. The Dual Role Failure - Bhau failing as both politician and general
7. The Gap in Command - No strategic coordination between north/south
8. The Convergence of Crises - Multiple failures at same time

Where This Leads: While Bhau fights in the north and tries to project confidence, the Peshwa in Pune is dying of tuberculosis, getting weaker by the day, unable to make bold decisions. The very person who could send reinforcements, create a rear-threat, and relieve pressure is incapacitated. Bhau won't admit he's desperate. Peshwa doesn't understand the situation. And Bhau's failure to build a coalition means the Marathas stand completely alone against a professional Afghan army. The stalemate at Panipat is unsustainable. Something must break. And when it does, there will be no reinforcement coming from the south.

While Bhau fought in Panipat, Nana Sahib was dying in Siddhatek. Not from battle wounds. From tuberculosis. The TB that came from poor nutrition, damp conditions, crowded camps. Progressive wasting. He got weaker each day. And as he weakened, the Maratha cause weakened with him. A general needs his sovereign's support. Abdali had it. Bhau didn't. He had a dying Peshwa in Pune who didn't understand what was happening in the north. Who was too sick to send reinforcements. Who lacked the warrior spirit to do what needed to be done. And Bhau, stuck in Panipat with dwindling supplies and no political coalition, couldn't even ask for help because asking meant admitting he was desperate. Admitting he was failing. Admitting the invincible general was human after all.