Angria

Kanhoji Angre is born to Tukoji Sankhpal, keeper of the Suvarnadurg Fort for Shivaji, emperor of the Marathas. A child of the seas, Kanhoji is as much at home in the turbulent waters of Konkan as in the forts and forests of the Desha mainland. But the enemies of their empire are never too far away. The Mughals are in constant battle with the Marathas on land, while the Siddis and the newly arrived Portuguese threaten to destroy them at sea. There’s also the British East India Company who have arrived as traders and settled on the island of Kulaba, paying taxes to Kanhoji. Kanhoji must rise above conspiracy, deceit, war and family politics to become the Samudratala Shivaji—‘Shivaji of the Seas’. An astounding debut, Angria is the tale of one of history’s most feared naval commanders. Amid the smell of gunpowder and salt, Sohail Rekhy brings to life a momentous era when the war for swaraj was fought on the seas of India and when only one man stood between the firangis and the Desha. This is the chronicle of a hero whose story has been lost to the waves of time.

Sohail Rekhy was born in Mumbai to actor Waheeda Rehman and businessman Shashi Rekhy and spent several summers and countless weekends on the shores of the Konkan coast. He grew up in Bangalore, fascinated by Indian history, and went on to study literature at the University of Toronto. Sporadic journalism and freelance copywriting always kept him by his pen, as he worked in advertising and television industries and dabbled in sustainable furniture. This is his first novel, the fruit of years of research and writing. He currently lives with his wife and daughter in Bhutan.