[V.Narayan]

@Red Tarrano, thank you for a superlative treatise on the First War of Independence with this first hand account by this brave traveler from a distant time. I must thank you for the time and effort you have devoted in creating this thread.

In some ways it isn't so distant either. I am from Lucknow and the ruins shown in these photos all exist today, some like the Residency, Dilkusha, Chattar Manzil in pretty good condition. The First War of Independence has a similar story at my end. My great-great-grandfather, on my father's side, Pandit Durga Dutt was a student at Kashi studying to be a priest. On completion of his studies in 1857 he walked back home to his village near Delhi. In between the war broke out. It took him 4 months to complete the journey on foot sleeping in village temples at night and often conducting prayer ceremonies for the Indian soldiers to bless them. It is a surprise he wasn't killed. He led a prosperous life and died in 1911.

[fiestarry]

@ RedTerrano.
It is indeed a poignant narration of the dark days of the great Mutiny and its aftermath.
The plights of the learned Brahmins of that day and of many of them today are indeed very sad.
You have brought out the gut wrenching emotions and the travails of these men with great skill.
The treachery of the Scindias ( Shindes) and others appalled my sensibilities. It is very sad to see the descendants of these traitors living lavish lives today and cocking a snook at the descendants of the martyrs.
It is always stupefying that Indians have a history of betrayal and treachery.
The Raja of Takshashila (Taxila today) betrayed Porus to Alexander; Jaichand betrayed Prithviraj to Ghori, Rana Sanga was betrayed by the other Rajputs and Rana Pratap was defeated by Akbar using Man Singh, the Maharaja of Jaipur.
Down south too we had a number of such turncoats and wretched creatures who sold their loyalty for a few pieces of silver.
Kattabomman, the polygar of Panchalankuruchi in TN was sold down the river by his own people... the chieftain was hanged for his rebellion. Dozens of such examples in our past.
What is even more shocking is that the First l Battle of Independence evokes so little emotion in most of the readers / members here. Most have only commented on the good narration and say nothing about the utterly sad events that have been so painstakingly described by RedTerrano in his post. The brutality of the British, their blood lust, their depravity, their unmatched greed and cruelty don't seem to evoke any emotions at all amongst the readers but for a select few.
The sacrifice and martyrdom of those bravehearts seem to have no effect on most today. The modern Indian is more matlabi than before and chooses compromise over sacrifice.
Sadly true !

[RedTerrano]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

In some ways it isn't so distant either. I am from Lucknow and the ruins shown in these photos all exist today, some like the Residency, Dilkusha, Chattar Manzil in pretty good condition. The First War of Independence has a similar story at my end. My great-great-grandfather, on my father's side, Pandit Durga Dutt was a student at Kashi studying to be a priest. On completion of his studies in 1857 he walked back home to his village near Delhi. In between the war broke out. It took him 4 months to complete the journey on foot sleeping in village temples at night and often conducting prayer ceremonies for the Indian soldiers to bless them. It is a surprise he wasn't killed. He led a prosperous life and died in 1911.

Wow!
Any chance you have a painting/sketch/picture of Panditji? If possible please do share.
And thank you for your kind words!

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by RedTerrano

Wow!
Any chance you have a painting/sketch/picture of Panditji? If possible please do share.

Unfortunately no photo or sketch exists of him. I only have a legal document of 1882, written in Pharsee, that bears his signature.

And thank you for your kind words!

You deserve it.

[abhijeetK]

Narration of the battle of Jhansi was thrilling. Many incidents in our history might have long story to tell from such a perspective.
Thanks for all your efforts.

[RedTerrano]

Originally Posted by abhijeetK

Many incidents in our history might have long story to tell from such a perspective.

Indeed. Since only the British version has been handed down to use as "history", it is safe to assume, it has been heavily filtered.

One interesting fact I noticed while researching this article:
Remember the story all of us learnt in school? Rani Laxmibai was an accomplished horseman(true). She had three horses, whose names are known. Baadal, Sarangi and Pavan. It was Baadal who heroically carried the Queen and the young prince, jumped valiantly over the fort walls and helped her escape the British. Every Indian child has learnt this story. In fact, there is even a board put up (by ASI?) to commemorate this deed and mark the spot.

Surprisingly, this incident does NOT find mention in Vishnubhat's story, where he has documented the minutest detail of what they had for lunch! IMO this incident did not happen in real.
Forts usually have high walls. I have never been to Jhansi (yet), but those who have can probably confirm, the height is too high to survive a fall. Also, if the horse could jump out easily, the invaders could jump in easily as well, and we know for a fact the Rani defended the fort extremely well.

Another similar related fact.
Another warrior, another faithful horse who saved his master's life in another time and place: Chetak. The favourite steed of Maharana Pratap.
(Not) Surprisingly this did not happen in real life as there is no mention of Chetak in court records.
This deed was immortalized in folklore in a ballad later, called Khummana-Raso. Lt Col. James Tod heard this and mentioned it in his book Annals and Antiquities of Rajast'han or the Central and Western Rajpoot States of India.

The rest, as they say, became history.

[Frankenstein]

Beautiful read there giving a close picture of the life back then. Just a few doubts..

When people of Jhansi refused to give a girl to Gangadar , from what was posted it appears he might have been a eunuch/ transgender or what ever, didnt Moorpant get to know this , or he did it knowingly for the money. If he knew about Gangadar, didnt he tell his daughter? Did she know earlier ? Was it all for the riches.

When Rani Laxmibhai was concerned about the people , what was the logic behind war with the British , people got killed , then she goes to another kingdom and again repeat.

British were disciplined , had proper training and weapons and not corrupt . Is it wise to not go against them and protect the people or fight blindly and get civilians killed.

What did our so called Historical heroes do with the mughals, got their girls married to the mughals , is that whats called brave ?

British looted India , but also did some development and were not corrupt . We got independence and still looting continous and no development , British built bridges are still intact, our built ones are ruined. We would still be riding bullacarts if not for them .

I feel we were told a lot of lies about our greatness.

[RedTerrano]

Originally Posted by Frankenstein

Beautiful read there giving a close picture of the life back then.

Thank you!

Originally Posted by Frankenstein

When people of Jhansi refused to give a girl to Gangadar , from what was posted it appears he might have been a eunuch/ transgender or what ever, didnt Moorpant get to know this , or he did it knowingly for the money. If he knew about Gangadar, didnt he tell his daughter? Did she know earlier ? Was it all for the riches.

This is a tough question to answer. To be frank, I don’t know for sure. But let’s remember Vishnubhat wrote what he heard during his visit and take one step back in time.
When Gangadhar Rao was crowned king, he inherited a kingdom controlled by the British. In fact for the 1st four years of his tenure, he was a king in name only, and was not even allowed to stay in Jhansi, but was forced to live in a small fort nearby called Burwa Sagar.
Having lost is first wife Ramabai early on, probably out of sheer boredom and lack of activity he turned to what he loved doing best.
Gangadhar Rao was a huge patron of arts, especially the performing arts. Eventually he built a huge theater next to the palace in Jhansi, where he wrote, produced and even directed Sanskrit plays. In those times, women did not act on stage. The female roles were played by male artists (we see this happen till even Balgandharva’s times). This could be the root of the crossdressing story. As always one thing could have led to another and till it became fact. Or he could have very well been cursed with a faulty piston. Like I said, I can’t tell for sure.
Note: Besides this he also built and nourished a huge library, which scholars from all over India used to visit, as it contained numerous priceless manuscripts, Sanskrit classics on drama, poetry, spiritual texts like the Vedas, Puranas and even books on Jyotish.

As for Moropant, I have not seen anything which will lead me to believe he was a bad parent. Widower with a girl child during those times, he did his best and did manage to provide her with a proper roof, food and even proper education (a rare for those times), and eventually a marriage which would ensure she would lack for nothing in the future. Sure he might have turned a bit of a blind eye to certain aspects of the groom after due diligence but with so many modern actresses marrying businessmen who look like their fathers, I can’t really blame him.

Originally Posted by Frankenstein

When Rani Laxmibhai was concerned about the people , what was the logic behind war with the British , people got killed , then she goes to another kingdom and again repeat.

Umm because it was her Raj-Dharma. She had first hand experience of the British, first with Nanasaheb, and later on at Jhansi. Anand Rao was adopted in the presence of the British on Gangadhar Rao’s deathbed. The British had given their full blessings to this adoption, assuring Gangadhar Rao an unbroken like of succession to the royal throne. Rani Laxmibai of course was witness to all this. And after all this, the moment the king died, Dalhousie invoked the doctrine of lapse and rejected the claim.
Why would the Rani not rise up in arms? Of course she would.

Originally Posted by Frankenstein

British were disciplined , had proper training and weapons and not corrupt . Is it wise to not go against them and protect the people or fight blindly and get civilians killed.

Not corrupt?
I paraphrase from Shri Shashi Tharoor’s book, An Era of Darkness

Everything the British did in India, was for their own benefit and never for that of the Indians. They also had, perfected a policy of divide and rule, breaking treaties at will and making war and looting with impunity. There are few Indians who would not have heard of the treachery that enabled Clive to triumph at Plassey or of the incredible amounts of ill-begotten wealth the East India Company officials hauled back with them to England. “One official,” Cyril Radcliff informs us, “was said to have pocketed 1,200,000 sterling in bribes from the Nawab of Carnatic: another pocketed 200,000 pounds.” Given the opportunities he had to enrich himself in India, Clive was “amazed at his own moderation”.

1,400,000 BGP in two bribes!!!!
Not corrupt??
Not corrupt????

Originally Posted by Frankenstein

What did our so called Historical heroes do with the mughals, got their girls married to the mughals , is that whats called brave ?

Frankly speaking Sir, I am amazed you remember some who did establish relations with the Mughals, but you totally ignore the countless others who opposed and fought them. When

Originally Posted by Frankenstein

British looted India , but also did some development and were not corrupt .

For corruption: See above.

Originally Posted by Frankenstein

British built bridges are still intact, our built ones are ruined. We would still be riding bullacarts if not for them .

Just one example. Just one.
Here is something which is still intact. Our ancestors built this much much before the time British even thought of coming to India.
This is a stone chain. Notice the links in the chain. Yes! They move! Again, its made out of stone.
And it survives to this day.

In case your journey takes you to TN, you can admire it in all it’s glory at the Varadharaja Perumal Temple, Kanchipuram.

(contd....)

[RedTerrano]

Originally Posted by Frankenstein

I feel we were told a lot of lies about our greatness.

With respect, I feel you have been listening to lot of wrong people.

Listen to this:
No self respecting thief robs a poor man’s house. So why did all the invaders and “traders” come to India?
Riches!
Infinite, unheard of riches!
Check out these numbers:

Source: A Millennial Perspective by Dr Angus Maddison
(He was British btw!)

As you can see before the invaders, India’s share of the world GDP was 32.54%!
I repeat, this is before the invaders.
Can mediocre people achieve such economic power?

Let’s take one example of how much the invaders looted.
Just one.
Allaudin Khilji with his barbarian hordes had laid siege to the erstwhile capital of Yadav kingdom, Devgiri, MH. On Saturday, 6 Feb, 1294, the Yadav army was routed and King Ramdevrao surrendered and signed a treaty. This is a list of what they promised to deliver as tribute.
Every year.

• 22,200 Kg GOLD
• 259 Kg PEARLS
• 74 Kg Diamonds and other precious stones
• 37,000 Kg SILVER
• 4000 bolts of SILK

Such wealth boggles the mind.
Can mediocre people generate such wealth?


And the greatness was not only about gold and diamonds.

Complete chess board found at Lothal GJ. Its been dated back to 2400 BCE

Also found at Lothal: Perfume and incense bottles, dated to 3000 BCE

Rigveda (composed 1500-1200BCE) mentions a certain Queen Vishpala, who got wounded in battle. The twin Ashwini Kumars successfully amputated her wounded leg and fitted her with an iron prosthetic.

Nalanda Bihar, had the greatest library with countless books and priceless manuscripts. People from all over the world, including ancient Greeks (later Romans as well) travelled great distances to study there. Our Nalanda was the original Stanford/MIT/Whatever.

First plastic surgery in the world? India. Sushruta Samhita (b. 800 BCE) elaborates the procedure for Rhinoplasty in great detail.
Sushruta Samhita also describes various surgical instruments.

Earliest known mention of shampoo? India! Date? 50BCE. (Strabo, McCrindle, Ancient India)
(Sanskrit)Chapayati > Champi > Shampoo

Arybhata b. 476CE > Astronomy, Arithmetic, Algebra, Plane as well as Spherical Trigonometry, fractions, quadratic equations, sine tables. And of course the concept of ZERO.
His work was carried on and expanded by other greats like Varahamihira, Brahmagupta and Bhaskar to invent various devices sundial, shadow meter (to measure angles) and water clocks

Arthashastra: Authored by Kautilya (~300 BCE). Discusses in great detail statecraft, economics ,military tactics, governance, judiciary, ethics, markets/trade, diplomacy, when to wage war, interview and screening process for ministers and other high offices, duties of the king, philosophy, agriculture, mining, metal industry, farming and animal husbandry, medicine, forest and wildlife maintenance, social welfare, famine and epidemic management and taxation.

World’s first sewage system with running water: Mohenjodaro and Harappa (2800 BCE).

And many more.
And this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Could mediocre people scale such intellectual heights?

If anyone wants to find out just how awesome our ancestors were, I heartily recommend the book The Wonder That Was India
by A.L. Basham.

PS. Basham too was British.

[RedTerrano]

Update:

It gives me immense pleasure to inform everyone that this topic is now published as a book!

Thanks to the encouragement by renowned historian Shri Uday Kulkarni, I (finally) took the plunge and submitted the manuscript to Garuda Books. Fortunately for me, they found the story worthwhile, and the book came into existence. As a first time author this is truly a memorable occasion for me.

For all of you who prefer turning paper pages while lounging on the sofa, perhaps accompanied by a cuppa, you can source your copies here

Amazon
Flipkart
Garuda

[Iyencar]

Originally Posted by RedTerrano

Update:

It gives me immense pleasure to inform everyone that this topic is now published as a book!

My first thought when I went through your original article was that it deserved to be a book. Wonderful news. Congratualtions and hope we see many more from you on similar topics! +1 for getting it published through Garuda Prakashan

[condor]

Originally Posted by RedTerrano

History is written by victors..

@RedTerrano, must thank you for taking the effort to share this - wonder how you managed !

[saisree]

Oh whoa!! This is a fantastic read and how did I miss this thread all these days. Such a beautiful narration of events. As soon as I read the first three posts, I was wondering why this is not in a book. Happy to note you have got this published.

I think, this is were we have to hail Gandhi for his thinking. The 1857 revolt and the ones that followed these proved, we are in no way gaining independence through warfare. He went against the tide, called for a Non Violence, non co-operative movements which British has never heard of. It took decades but we emerged victorious.

And for the questions on the corruption and functionalities of government, remember, we are still following the governance style of British Raj.

PS: I feel you are the Vishnubhat in your previous life. Are you?

[whitewing]

Originally Posted by RedTerrano

Update:

It gives me immense pleasure to inform everyone that this topic is now published as a book!

Congratulations and wishing the book the attention it deserves !

Could you please confirm if you are planning to release this on Kindle as well?

[One]

Never realised that a thread of this nature would be favourite in a Motoring forum. Thank you for reading and translating a concise version for us. It is a beautiful, heart-rending and yet a positive story with a great ending - everything that a nation needs to become stronger.

Thank you a million times over RedTerrano.