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Roll of Honour

1857: Roll of Honour

Maulvi Ahmadulla, considered the brain behind the uprising in Awadh, hailed from Arcot near Chennai. In January 1857 the Maulvi exhorted the people of his native place to rise against the British but his appeal evoked little or no response. Accompanied by a small band of devoted followers he left the south and headed north where he found the people more receptive to his ideas.
Alarmed by the activities of the Maulvi, the authorities in Faizabad put him behind bars. When the revolt broke out he was in the Faizabad jail.
He was freed by the sepoys along with other prisoners and he went to Lucknow where he played a major role in the siege of the Residency. When Lucknow fell he escaped to fight at other fronts, notably in Rohilkhand.
On 5th June 1859, the Maulvi arrived in Powain, a small fort on the Oudh-Rohilkhand border. When the Raja of Powain closed the gates to prevent him from entering, he got on an elephant and charged at the gate. He was shot dead by the garrison.
Paying rich tributes to the Maulvi, Malleson writes:
"If a patriot is a man who plots and fights for the independence, wrongfully destroyed, of his native country, then most certainly Maulvi was a true patriot .... he had fought manfully, honourably and stubbornly in the field against the strangers who had seized his country, and his memory is entitled to the respect of the brave and the true-hearted of all nations."

Begum Hazrat Mahal

The British treated the rebels from Awadh which now forms the central U. P. area with greater consideration than the rebels of other parts. Awadh had been recently annexed and the revolt in Awadh was seen as a protest against this annexation. Begum Hazrat Mahal who declared her son the ruler of Awadh, gave the British a tough fight. After the fall of Lucknow the capital, she fled to Nepal. The British were keen that she return to India and promised her a suitable pension and assured her of all honours befitting her rank if she did so. But the Begum declined to renounce the rights of her son by accepting pension.

Woman in Green

Rani Laxmi Bai was not the only woman who fought the British in 1857. There were several others. Col. Keith Young, in one of his letters to his wife written from Delhi in 1857 writes: "Did I tell you that they took a woman prisoner the other day, who was leading a charge of Cavalry and who killed two of our men with her own hand?" H.H. Greathead in his letter written during the siege of Delhi, gives more information about this unknown woman warrior: "A Joan of Arc was made prisoner yesterday; she is said to have shot one of our men, and to have fought desperately. She is a 'Jehadin', a religious fanatic, and sports a green turban and was probably thought to be inspired." Forbes-Mitchell in his "Reminiscences of the Great Mutiny of 1857-59," while describing the capture of Lucknow mentions 'a woman who, perched on a large peepul tree in the court of Sikandar Bagh, shot a number of British soldiers, and was shot in her turn.' Many women fought in the last desperate battle to prevent the capture of Lucknow. Lieut.Col.Gordon-Alexander, an eyewitness writes: "They fought like wildcats, and it was not till after they were killed that their sex was even suspected."


The Great Maratha

Ramachandra Panduranga Tope, called Tatya was a childhood friend of Nana Saheb and the Rani of Jhansi. The three friends spent their childhood days together at Bithur. Like Nana, he had no military experience but when the fighting broke out he exhibited a natural flair for guerilla warfare. He kept the flame of 1857 burning until 1859 when he was betrayed by a friend, Man Singh the Rajput chief of Narwar.
"By Man Singh's directions the Sipahis were placed in ambush near a hollow which he and Tantia Topee had been in the habit of frequenting and he led his unsuspecting victim there and held a long conversation with him, till after midnight, when Tantia fell asleep. The Sipahis were then fetched by Man Singh, and Tantia Topee was secured and pinioned, his arms being seized by Man Singh himself".
Tatya Tope was court martialled for waging war against the British Government and was hanged on 15th April, 1859.

The Last Peshwa

Dhondu Pant, also called Nana was an adopted son of Baji Rao, the last Peshwa.
While some historians consider him a ringleader of anti-British forces in 1857, others consider him a weakling.
All agree that he redeemed himself with the last letter he wrote to the British authorities:
"Life must be given up some day. Why then should I die dishonoured? There will be war between me and you as long as I have life, whether I be killed or imprisoned or hanged. And whatever I do will be done with the sword only."
Such was the awe in which people held him that long after his death in Nepal there were rumours that he was moving about freely in India, plotting to overthrow the British government.

The Fearless Pir

Patna was peaceful when fighting broke out in other parts of the country in 1857. In a pre-emptive move, Taylor, Commissioner of Patna detained a few Wahabi leaders and issued a proclamation demanding the surrender of all arms owned by citizens within twenty-four hours. But anti-British feelings ran high and despite these precautions a mob led by a bookseller named Pir Ali went on the rampage on 3rd July 1857 and a British officer was killed. Pir Ali was arrested along with many others. Brought before the Commissioner, he was asked whether he had any information to give that might induce the Government to spare his life which meant he would be dealt with leniently if he gave out the names of those who had helped him. Kaye writes: "With dignified composure, he confronted his questioners, and replied: 'There are some cases in which it is good to save life—others in which it is better to lose it.' " He further denounced the oppression of the commissioner and said: 'You may hang me, or such as me, every day, but thousands will rise in my place, and your object will never be gained.' Pir Ali died a martyr's death at the gallows.

Hoofed Resistance

When Lucknow fell, a variety of animals — fowls, pigeons and parakeets — fell into the hands of the British soldiers. A few bullocks yoked to gun carts were also captured. Lt. Majendie writes: "Never in this world did prisoners of war prove so refractory as these horned gentlemen, so deaf to reason or cajolery. Unanimously and strenuously they refused to have anything to do with drawing the guns after they had once fallen into our hands."

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