On January 14, 1779, a small band of Maratha warriors led by Mahadji Shinde and a Muslim gardi overpowered the marauding East India Company forces at Wadgaon-Maval on the Mumbai-Pune highway.

The treaty of Wadgaon, signed on January 16, 1779, is the sole proof of indigenous might, clubbed in by centuries of slavery and a heavy colonial hangover.

A memorial to the great battle to be built on the site, however, proposes to salvage some of the lost national pride. To be set up by the Express-Nagarik Wadgaon Vijaystambh Pratisthan, a public trust created by citizens and The Indian Express, Pune, it will be the first memorial to commemorate the victory of Indian forces over the Europeans.

Industrialist and Pratishtan trustee, Arun Firodia, said at a press conference on Monday that the memorial will attempt to remove the defeatist attitude developedby Indians over the years and inspire future generations to ``draw lessons from this glorious chapter of our history.''

``This battle is particularly significant for the excellent war strategy applied by Mahadji Shinde to overcome European might. Indians have used cannons and cavalry for their battles long before the Europeans,'' he said.

Appropriately, the project has, `Indians are second to none' as its theme.

The monument will have two main components: A tableau with five life-size bronze statues and a deep-maal as a mark of respect to those who made the Wadgaon victory possible. The tableau will have statues showing the East India Company's envoy, one Farmer, bowing to Mahadji and Nana Phadnavis in surrender to the Maratha terms, with a Maratha soldier and a Muslim gardi in attendance.

Trustee Dr S B Majumdar said the presence of the memorial on the national highway will revive the pride of the Marathi people and spread the message of teamwork.

The memorial will come up on a plotof land alongside the Pune-Mumbai highway at Wadgaon Mawal, made available to the Pratishthan by the Shrimant Sardar Mahadji Shinde Pratisthan. It is estimated to cost Rs 30 lakh.

Majumdar, who termed this as a `people's memorial', said a campaign would soon be launched to collect funds for the purpose.

The memorial will focus attention on various facets of the Wadgaon victory, like sagacity, statecraft, undivided counsel, appropriate use of military power, sound strategy, a well-thought-out design of battle, leadership, valour, soldiering skills and the involvement of all sections of the people in offering stiff resistance to an alien power.