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First War of Independence 1857 and its impact on India

May 24, 2021 at 12:48 pm by Editorial
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By Anupama Nair, www.mediaeyenews.com

In the last part I spoke about the arrival of British East India Company and how after the Battle of Plassey and Buxar, they became the masters of the entire subcontinent. The people of India were unhappy with the British rule and they revolted in 1857.

The rebellion started when Mangal Pandey, who was the leader of the Bengal Regiment started the revolt.  By March 1857, he was a private soldier (sepoy) in the 5th Company of the 34th Bengal Native Infantry. On the afternoon of 29 March 1857, Lieutenant Baugh, of the 34th Bengal Native Infantry, then stationed at Barrackpore (West Bengal) was informed that several men of his regiment were in an excited state and planned to rebel against the British under the leadership of Mangal Pandey. The British tried to suppress the rebellion and executed Mangal Pandey. “The attack by and punishment of Pandey is widely seen as the opening scene of what came to be known as the Indian Rebellion of 1857”, stated many historians. Mangal Pandey’s rebellion was widespread amongst his fellow soldiers and is assumed to have been one of the factors leading to the general series of rebellion, that broke out during the following months. Mangal Pandey inspired many others to follow in the Indian Nationalist Movement like Veer Savarkar, who stated his “motive as one of the earliest manifestations of Indian Nationalism”. Modern Indian nationalists portray Pandey as the mastermind behind a conspiracy to revolt against the British.

Then the rebellion spread to Meerut (Uttar Pradesh), where 85 out of the 90 Indian soldiers at Meerut refused to bite the greased cartridges with their teeth. The soldiers were court-martialed and imprisoned for 10 years. They were stripped off their uniforms in the presence of the entire Indian crowd. It was too much of a disgrace and this incident sent a wave of indignation among the Indians. The Indian soldiers decided to defy the order and broke into open revolt. They released their companions and murdered a few European officers. On the night of 10th May the mutineers marched to Delhi

The revolutionaries reached Delhi on 11th May, 1857 and the small British garrison at Delhi was not able to resist and consequently Delhi was conquered by the Indians. The Mughal Emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, was proclaimed Emperor of India. The British could not forget the humiliation and in order to regain Delhi, Sir John Lawrence sent a strong British force commanded by John Nicholson. After a long siege of four months, the British recovered Delhi in September 1857. The Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar was captured, and he was sent to Rangoon where he died in the year 1862.

The struggle for Independence in Cawnpore (Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh) was led by Nana Sahib (the adopted son of Peshwa Baji Rao II). He imprisoned many Britishers and he showed great kindness to them. But when he heard about the inhuman attitude of Gen. O’Neil towards Indians, he became very furious and killed all the British. General Havelock captured Cawnpore after defeating Nana Sahib after a fierce struggle on June 17, 1857. Later Nana Sahib, with the help of Tatya Tope, recaptured Cawnpore in November, 1857, but the British defeated them once again in a fierce war in December 1857. Nana Sahib fled towards Nepal, where he probably died, while Tatya Tope migrated to Kalpi (Uttar Pradesh).

The struggle for independence at Lucknow was led by Nawab, Wajid Ali Shah. The Chief Commissioner, Sir Henry Lawrence, sought refuge with 1000 English and 700 Indian soldiers inside the Residency. The Indians did not make any concession and killed most of the Englishmen, including Sir Henry Lawrence and the notorious English General O’Neil. Later, Commander-in-Chief General Collin Campbell, marched towards Lucknow and captured it after a fierce battle in March 1858.

What is Indian history without Manikarnika or Lakshmibai, the brave queen of Jhansi? With immense pride I am writing about her. Even today, for every Indian she is the icon for the freedom struggle against the British Raj for Indian Independence. Manikarnika was born in Benares (Manikarnika Ghat), in 1828 as Manikarnika Tambe and was nicknamed Manu. Her father was Moropant Tambe, and her mother Bhagirathi Sapre. Her mother died when she was four-year old. Her father was working with Peshwa Baji Rao II in Bithoor (near Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh). She was married to Gangadhar Rao, the King of Jhansi. She was forced to leave Jhansi.

She returned to Jhansi, when the First War of Independence started in May 1857. From August 1857 to January 1858 Jhansi under the Rani's rule was at peace. The British who was fighting the rebellion could do nothing. They summoned their greatest war hero, General Hugh Rose to fight against the queen. Sir Hugh Rose commanding the British forces, demanded the surrender of the city , and threatened if this was refused it would be destroyed. Rani refused and said that after due deliberation she issued a proclamation, "We fight for independence”. She defended Jhansi against British troops when Sir Hugh Rose besieged Jhansi on 23 March 1858.

The company’s forces surrounded the fort of Jhansi, and a fierce battle raged. Offering stiff resistance to the invading forces, Lakshmi Bai did not surrender even after her troops were overwhelmed and the rescuing army of Tatya Tope, was defeated at the Battle of Betwa. Lakshmi Bai managed to escape from the fort with a Damodar Rao, on her back on her favorite horse Badal, and is still in our memory. A small force of palace guards left with her and headed eastward, where other leaders joined her.

Tatya Tope and Lakshmi Bai then mounted a successful assault on the city-fortress of Gwalior, and the Scindia the ruler ran away to London. The treasury and the arsenal were seized, and Nana Sahib, a prominent leader, was proclaimed as the Peshwa. After taking Gwalior, Lakshmi Bai marched east to Morar to confront a British counterattack led by Sir Rose. Dressed as a man, she fought a fierce battle and was martyred in combat on 17 June 1858, in Kotah-ki-Serai near the Phool Bagh in Gwalior.

Most of the European historians pointed out that “it was a mere mutiny of the soldiers who were offended at the use of greased cartridges. In their opinion, the discontented soldiers were incited by the landlords and the deposed native princes and the people of India were not directly involved in this rebellion”. Indian historians however, claim it was a glorious landmark in our history to win back the lost independence. “One cannot but admire the patriotic spirit of boatmen of Lucknow who refused to carry British soldiers across the river. The soldiers and the people fought valiantly up to the very end. Though the revolt was unsuccessful, the spirit of the people remained unshaken. The revolt left an impression on the minds of the Indian people and thus paved the way for the rise of a strong National Movement”.

It was Veer Savarkar who gave the name 'First War of Independence' to the 1857 'kranti'”. Nehru said in a lecture “Attempts to suppress that picture do not destroy it but drive it deeper in the mind. Only by dealing with it normally can its effects be lessened…It is hateful to have to refer to this past history, but the spirit behind those events did not end with them. It survived, and whenever a crisis comes or nerves give way, it is in evidence again”. On the 164th year of the Great War of Independence, let us remember all the heroes of the rebellion and others like Bhagat Singh, Khudiram Bose, Netaji Subhash Bose, Veer Savarkar, and Sardar Patel, who sacrificed their lives so that we could be a free nation. But are we forgetting them in our busy lives?

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