Chronicles of Kanjisheik

150 years have passed since the tumultuous events of 1857, and yet we still haven’t shed our Victorian mindsets. To this day, children grow up studying that it was a “sepoy mutiny”. Even though most Indians refer to it as the First War of Indian Independence, it is indeed surprising that our history books don’t mention it as such. What does this say about us? We’ve been content studying the “British” viewpoint for the past six decades. The saying “History is written by the victors” comes to mind. It is time that we wrote our histories, rather than read the version written by an outsider. After all, it is our birthright. Besides, it is time we updated our antiquated history text books with recent developments and discoveries.

It is unfortunate that sometimes the Revolt of 1857 is denied a national character since the ideal of a unified all-India nation state was premature for most people of nineteenth century India. But how can we deny a national character to a popular outburst against an alien regime, particularly when it enjoyed the support of a large mass of the population and affected a considerable part of the country?

Consider the facts- the Revolt of 1857 was the most widespread challenge against the British East India Company. It brought together soldiers of different regions and many rulers and chiefs of different rulers and principalities together- all with the common aim of ousting the British from India. The sepoys of the Bengal regiment revolted and were joined by other section of society-landlords, peasants, artisans, scholars- who made common cause against the exploitation of the British officers.

There were uprisings against the British all over India, right from Punjab to Assam. But the fiercest battles were fought in north and central India. Delhi, Meerut, Kanpur, Lucknow, Jhansi, Awadh were some of the prominent centres. The Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar was acknowledged as the rightful Emperor of India and the sepoys fought in his name. Even the Marathas, the Mughals’ eternal antagonists, supported the emperor. Such was the interest among [most of] the Indian ruling classes to rout the British. Leaders like Nana Saheb, Kunwar Singh, Rani Lakshmi Bai, and Tantia Tope became famous for their bravery and leadership.

Almost a lakh Indian sepoys revolted against the British and along with the armies of Jhansi, Awadh, the Marathas & other kingdoms that had joined the War, they nearly succeeded in defeating the British. The main reason for their failure was the lack of a coordinated military strategy, and the Indian kings who chose to either side with the British or dint fight at all. But for this, the battle might have been won and India would have attained freedom much earlier.

What then is the lesson to be drawn from the 1857 Revolt? The uprising underlines the importance of fighting imperialism at all costs. The 1857 rebels fought and died for a cause – the cause of national liberation from an alien rule. They raised the standard of revolution when the English power in India was at its ascendant height, and fought relentlessly shoulder to shoulder for a national cause till the last hour, irrespective of religious, ethnic and regional divides.

Since the success of the Revolt certainly would have meant freedom from colonialism it is difficult to imagine what might have occurred. One thing is certain: it would have saved the country from the "benefits" of colonial modernity. Would it have led to the “resurrection of the feudal order” as Jawaharlal Nehru felt in his Discovery Of India or would it have enabled an independent path of development towards modernity? There is no definite answer.

If we want to truly honour the martyrs of 1857, then we should strive to achieve self reliance in all spheres of development. For it was their memeory that inspired the freedom struggle. As Somnath Chatterjee said in the Lok Sabha, "The War of 1857 was undoubtedly an epoch-making event in India’s struggle for freedom. For what the British sought to deride as a mere sepoy mutiny was India’s First War of Independence in a very true sense, when people from all walks of life, irrespective of their caste, creed, religion and language, rose against the British rule.... Not only did these martyrs give up their lives for the sake of the country’s freedom but also left a message for the future generations --- a message of sacrifice, courage of conviction, a strong belief in the ultimate victory of the people in their war against oppression." I couldn't agree more.