The saga of the so-called first Indian ‘patriot’
The month of May provided an opportunity to reflect on the ‘Indian War of Independence’ against the East India Company. Starting on 10 May 1857, after affecting one-tenth of the populace and one-sixth of the Indian territory, it ended in the British victory on 8 July 1858.
Among the many causes for the rebel sepoys to take up arms was the perception that the British were defiling their religions and converting them to Christianity. This perception was both true and false. It was true to the extent that the missionaries were allowed to infiltrate the native sepoys and at the same time the emphasis of their preaching was more against Islam and Hinduism and less on Christianity. Moreover, some British officers proved more zealous than the priests: the Commanding Officer of the sensitive 34th Infantry at Barackpore being one such officer whose “aim and end” in life was not soldiering but to convert sepoys to Christianity. The perception was untrue to the degree that out of the 277,746 native soldiers, a substantial number were the Hindus belonging to the upper caste Brahmins. These ‘collaborators’ were deliberately recruited in the army to provide legitimacy to the foreign rule. The British were quite mindful of the native sensitivities in the sense that not only had they allowed the holding of Hindu festivals in the military barracks by the General Order of the Commander-in-Chief since March 1793 but had also ensured as a rule that the Hindu sepoys were made available only those prostitutes that were of Brahmin and Rajput descent.
This sheds some light on the calculated British approach towards the sepoys but one fatal miscalculation was their insistence that the soldiers use the cartridges which were perceived to be greased with the fat of cow and pig. And these controversial cartridges provided the spark to the revolt. This explanation of the mutiny was rubbished by the British statesman Benjamin Disraeli in the House of Commons when he stated that “The decline and fall of empires are not affairs of greased cartridges. Such results are occasioned by adequate causes, and by an accumulation of adequate causes.” Quite true! However, perceptions are often stronger than realities. What actually happened as a result of these cartridges in that fateful summer was aptly summed up in a couplet that is attributed to the Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar:
Na Iran ne kiya, na Shah Russ ne
Angrez ko tabah kiya kartoos ne
[What Iran (i.e. the Crimean and the Persian wars) and the Tsar of Russia could not do to the British, was achieved by the cartridge]
How true were the allegations of the sepoys about the grease of the cartridges? Most of the historians have failed to reach a definitive answer in this regard except at least two. One is Bernard Porter who confirms in ‘Lion’s share – a short history of British imperialism’ that the grease was a mixture of pork and beef fat. The other is Rudrangshu Mukherjee, whose reading and research about the revolt extending over a quarter of a century establishes the allegation to be true. The author argues that despite complaint from the sepoys, the military authorities did not bother to clarify as to what type of tallow was being used in the grease. About two months before the outbreak of the revolt, Governor General Lord Canning wrote in a letter that the apprehension about the grease had ‘turned out to be well-founded.’ The Inspector General of Ordnance, Colonel Augustus Abbot also admitted that the grease used could “have contained the fat of cows or other animals.”
So, the sepoys had strong suspicions about the grease but out of the 277,746 native soldiers, the one who showed the courage to first rebel on this issue was Mangal Pandey – sepoy no 1446 of the 5th Company of the 34th Regiment of the Native infantry. On the afternoon of 29 March 1857, in an agitated state of mind, he came out of his barrack and addressed the fellow sepoys in these words: “Come out, you (expletive), the Europeans are here! Why aren’t you getting ready? It’s for our religion! From biting these cartridges we shall become infidels. Get ready! Turn out all of you! You have incited me to do this and now you (expletive), you will not follow me!” His comrades did not respond to his call, so after a brief skirmish with two British officers in the parade ground, he was arrested and subsequently hanged on April 8. In spite of the failure to incite mutiny, he is credited for starting it? Why? R Mukherjee’s book ‘Mangal Pandey – brave martyr or accidental hero’ which is based on the proceedings of the trial of Mangal Pandey demystify the myths that have been woven around that rebel character.
Histories are often written long after the events have actually taken place. In the subcontinental context, history often blurs into hagiography. The ‘nationalist-minded’ Indian historians wanted to cobble together a ‘nationalist’ discourse to explain the mutinous happenings of 1857. This required the creation of a native figure that could be shown to have valiantly stood up to the alien British masters. Mangal Pandey perfectly fitted the bill. And the seal of authenticity to Mangal Pandey as ‘the first Indian nationalist’ was affixed by none other than the top Hindu radical nationalist leader, V.D Savarkar, who hailed him as ‘shaheed’ and as ‘the first rebel of 1857 who lit the spark’ in his monumental work ‘The Indian War of Independence, 1857’. Facts however speak otherwise. Mukherjee correctly points out that the spark that spread the rebellion in northern India was neither provided by the instigation nor the hanging of Mangal Pandey rather it was the mutiny of sepoys at Meerut and their successful capture of Delhi that lit the flame of independence.
One should also not ignore the fact that the rebellion which took the form of a larger war, actually started at Meerut, which is far away from Barackpore and not immediately but one month after the hanging of Mangal Pandey. In addition, after overthrowing the British authority at Meerut, the rebel sepoys looked towards the octogenarian Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar for leadership and inspiration and not towards Mangal Pandey. Throughout the year-long rebellion, its fate remained tied with the fate of Delhi and not Barackpore. There was not even a single voice among the rebels that cried to be fighting in the name of Mangal Pandey or to what had happened at Barackpore.
If this is the case then how can one understand Mangal Pandey’s act of defiance? Most probably, like other sepoys, he too, must have been upset by the issue of the greased cartridges. Importantly, on the day when he showed ‘courage’ to speak up against the British injustices, he was not in his self but under the intoxicating effect of ‘bhang’ and ‘opium’. During his trial, ‘Bhangi’ Pandey admitted this fact before the court and added, “I was not aware at the time of what I was doing.”
In their desire to portray him as a ‘great patriot’, the ‘nationalist’ historians completely ignore the fact that if he loved his country so dearly and hated the British colonists so much then why did he become a ‘British sepoy’ in the first place, in the service of the ‘despicable British masters?’ On the contrary, his service record shows that this upper caste Hindu Pandey of twenty-six years age was in the service of the East India Company for almost seven years and throughout this period his conduct had been very good. Thus, a legend was constructed about Mangal Pandey as a symbol of national pride and honour notwithstanding the fact that he served his foreign masters for so many years without an iota of remorse and when he finally rose against them, it was not in response to a ‘pricking conscience’ but under the influence of ‘bhang’. Such is the saga of the so-called first Indian ‘patriot’.
The writer is an academic and a journalist. He can be reached at [email protected]
You Pakistanis are unique creatures as you can not stop stunning this world with your thoughts…What is your point here ? Which history books you have been reading ? History is full of such examples where people change their minds–once faithful they turn rebels.. Why were East Pakistanis (ugly bengalis…u know) -from bureaucrats to soldiers..continued to pledge loyality to Pakistan state for decades than went against you ???? Why Jinnah, as claimed by people with warped mind like yours, continued to work as a part of Congress and than started working against it ??? People switch loyalties, some are praised while others castigated.
IF ONCE A FAITHUL D0G OF CONGRESS AND HINDU CONVERTED TO ISLAM CAN BECOME FATHER OF PAKISTAN, WHY NOT MANGAL PANDEY BE A MARTYR WHO WAS HANGED FOR REVOLT ????????
THINK , IF YOU MEDRESSAH EDUCATED JEHADI CAN THINK….
Why were my comments removed ??????? I post it here again..
If a Congress's faithful d0g, and a Hindu (Lohana cast from Gujrat) converted to Islam, MA Jinnah, can become father of Pakistan, why Mangal Pandey who had courage to revolt and was hanged for revolt be not called first Indian Patriot ?????
Fake leader…fake country….fake historians…..
Can this shallow-minded, medressah educated Idi0t can think ????????
khud ki na shakal na akal aur doosro ko bhangi bol raha hai….
The saga of so called father of Pakistan…
1. He disowned his own real daughter.. and Pakistanis call him father of nation…where you get such fools ???
2. His insatiable desire to 'rule in hell rather than slave in heaven' resulted in deaths of millions of innocent people while immigrating while his own family never moved from Mumbai !!!!!
3. All his life, he pretended to be a western..ate pork, drank wine…and used religion to create what is called failed terror state of "Bakistan" ..
3. He was neither a statesman, nor a mass leader, neither an author and nor a visionary. All he knew was to manipulate Muslim's religious sentiments.
3. He was assasinated like an 'ant' by some unknown people in the most dishonourable assassination of a sick man…the ambulence ran out of fuel….hahaah
Shouldn't you focus on some real issues that your country is facing?
Dear Sir, For Indians, who read about Mangal Pandey since childhood in their course textbooks, your article would be rubbished by them. Mangal pandey is considered to be the forerunner of India's independent movement and calling him 'Bhangi' is completely outrageous!! Your article will definitely hurt the sentiments of a majority of the Indian population.
First thing first,Mr Qizilbash article is just what’s it is a well researched article and the author has right to his own conclusion one may agree or disagree
In my opinion, we should always have a civil discourse,and some of the comments by my Indian friends are really out of line .If Quaid–E-Azam ancestors or millions other converted from Hinduisim to Islam ,then on my opinion ,the finally saw the light and truth
Pakistan is not a terrorist state,What about Indian terror in Kashmir since 1989
All my Indian friends shouldn’t go bonkers.
Had you been able to understand, tolerate and act in a civlized manner than thousands of Pakistanis would not have killed by their own countrymen in just last 2 years. and you would not have lost half of your country in 1971.
I fail to understand with what objective the research is done by this Pakistani author. Mangal Pandey indeed revolted and was hanged as a consequence. Can anyone deny it ? Thats enough for us. Associating headline with something derogatory like 'Bhangi' will bring some questions for Pakistanis about the people whom they consider heroes. I repeat that no Muslim was ever hanged and Jinnah was a hypocrite of first order and his creation will meet its end like Jinnah himself. If you challenge the real heroes, be prepared for your fake heores to be challenged as well.
Jinnah – tharki m@sturbater….
I think my Indian compatriots should not fall to this writers troll trap…I have been a long observrr of this writer columnist and this is usual stuff i.e. to take out chapter out of Indian History then try to spin it around and present a story of half truth which will then somehow show Indian Icons and Figures in bad light…just go through his all such stuff and you will just understand his strategy..such liers need to be contradicted with facts and complete truths to his half truths and not fall into his trap by using swear words presenting ourself in bad light.
This is what cyber Indian terrorists are best at: spewing venom and hatred against Pakistan and Muslims.
YES….MUSLIMS AND NAPAKISTAN DOESN'T DSERVE ANYTHING BETTER…..
haha At least these cyber terrorists are better than your so called researchers who are 100% sure they can not find anything good about their fake religion, fake country and fake people.
Paki researcher=indian cyber terrorists ???????
shame on u
Pakistanis, the estranged Indians will do anything to disown and disrespect their roots and forefathers. Such tribes have no foundation and are thus hollow. They claim Arab lineage but are local converts of 14th century. They deny history and shove under the carpet the ugly truth. Here is what Basharat Hussain has done.
" if he loved his country so dearly and hated the British colonists so much then why did he become a ‘British sepoy’ in the first place, in the service of the ‘despicable British masters?’
AMAZINGLY faulty reasoning. So you saying mutinies, rebellions, change-of-heart are just not possibie? You ought to try some bhang…maybe that'll clear your head some!!!!
ON EDIT: And I doubt 100% if Jinnah or Gandhi would have achieved a damn thing were it not for the likes of 'Bhangi Pandey, Bhagat Singh Shaheed, Chandra Shekhar Azad, Udham Singh, ETC., ETC., ETC. NOT A DAMN THING!!
A good point of view by the writer …… drinking hang and alcohol have always remained Hindu community problems in india. No offense but even my Indian friends accept that alcohol is destroying the fabric of Indian society. I wonder if depika tastes some bhung that's kewl but national hero pandey is totally forbidden from doing so !!
Very well researched article with references. Great job.
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