Swami' by Shri Ranjit Desai is not just a landmark in the stream of Marathi historical novel but it is an epoch. Incidentally its publication in 1962 has nearly celebrated the centenary of historical novel in Marathi, the first one viz ' Mochanged ' by late Shri R.B. Gunjikar being published in 1867. Though venerable authors like H.N.Apte, C.V. Vaidya, Sahkari Krishna, Nathmadhav, Sadhudas, V.V.Hadap shaped and enriched historical novel in marathi, their idea of historical novel cannot be named ...as a matured one, as many of them wrote such novels for boosting up the readers in their adherence to the spirit of freedom. Naturally in such novels it was the inspiring history which attained importance and not the elements of novel as such.

It is also evident from the fact that the trend of historical novels seems to be discontinued when India's freedom was dawned and attained. 'Swami' in 1962 not only renewed the tradition of historical novel in Marathi but also changed the century old concept of historical novel. It is 'Swami' by Shri Ranjit Desai which has set new ideals, new aspects and a new style as well for the Marathi historical novel. 'Swami' (meaning the Lord) is a novel knitted around the historic character of Madhavrao Peshwa(the first Madhavrao) in it's true historic perspectives. The author's idea here is not to paint a legency here from history but to understand the life of a warrior and stateman surrounded by petty bureaucrats and chiefs as also by mean-minded relations. For this very purpose, the author Shri Ranjit Desai was required to study very carefully and in detail about the Marathas history.

For this Shri Desai referred to all the available treaties on Maratha histroy, including the daftars containing documents and various records thereof.( A list of the sources studied is appended to the novel.) However, there are, as we know, many a dark silences in the Maratha history and the author had to ponder over on them. For example, the Maratha history tells very little about Ramabai, wife of Madhavrao Peshwa. Besides filling such gaps and overcoming other difficulties in getting the feel of true history, the author has his own views and convictions about history and about the art of novel as well. For example Shri Ranjit Desai himself says"..... the historical incidents narrated, the stories told imbibe a particular historical personality in our mind. But when we turn to history for studying closely and understanding minutely a historical personality, when we ponder over on such a person,we realise the gap between the truth and the imagined one. I myself realised this when I was studying the period of Madhavrao." Due to his changed concept of historical novel, in 'Swami' the author is neither contented with giving the feel of the past nor is he simply aiming at the life-sketch of the hero viz. Madhavrao Peshwa.

The author's attempt here is to trace 'the man' who with his career and with his self realised desnity, to fight the battle of his life bravely till his last breath. History only tells us the sati-affair of Ramabai. Definitely it must be Madhavrao's sincere love that inspired Ramabai to perform the sati-act and Ranjit Desai, we find here, imagines the couple with it's romance and raptures as well as with its wants and woes. If we are to find out the true novelist in Shri Desai it is in Ramabai's character we find him. Thus Shri Ranjit Desai in writing 'Swami' has changed the very concept of historical novel in Marathi and has paved a new way for the authors to come. It literally happened the same way. Many authors of historical novels in sixties (and in the early of seventies too )followed Ranjit Desai and there were nearly two dzens of such historical novels thereafter.