First of all kam dear, I am not a Marathi guy. I am from AP, a Telugu guy. So don't think I am a Maratha fundamentalist defending Shivaji.
1. Working with British??? Dude, during the time of Shivaji, the British were nowhere in the picture.
2. At that time, the central government in Delhi was that of Aurangazeb. It was NOT a democracy. And Hindus were persecuted and treated as second class citizens. Hindus also had to pay Jiziya tax. Shivaji was the ray of hope for the Hindus of that era. he was the beacon of freedom.
3. Shivaji never disrespected women. He treated them with utmost respect. Once, after a war was over, a Maratha general offered Shivaji an extremely beautiful Muslim lady who was the daughter-in-law of a defeated muslim Amir of Kalyan, Maharashtra. But Shivaji sent her back to her family, unmolested.
