दृष्टिकोण – Indra's Viewpoint

I had been to Red Fort a number of times. However, I never knew of the most famous feature of Diwa’i am: the pietra dura panels that form the backdrop to the throne platform. I came to have the information from an article by Lahiri, a historian in Delhi University in Hindustan Times.

Italian panels of Red Fort: There are panels of birds and foliage and one representation of a Greek God. Orpheus, the greatest Greek musician of poetry and myth, is shown fiddling under a tree, surrounded by listening animals. These are Italian objects of art, and their presence in a sedate hall of public audience, where Emperor Shah Jahan attended state affairs, quirky. In the widespread loot that followed the reoccupation of Delhi by the British, the Italian panels were pilfered and carried away to England as trophy of conquest, by a captain John Jones. He sold them to the British Government for pound 500. The panels soon became part of the collection of Indian artifacts in what is now known as the Victoria and Albert museum. It was proactive Lord Curzon who could get the panels back for the Durbar to celebrate coronation of King Edward VII as the Emperor of India that was to be held in the Red Fort. Although the panels reached India before the Durbar, they could not be put in place in time for the investiture ceremony, but shortly afterwards they were restored.

Holy Shirt: The story of Bahadur Shah Zafar’s ‘Holy Shirt’ is also interesting. The shirt (presently in the fort’s museum) has verses of the Quran written on it and was apparently sent from Mecca. It was meant to provide immunity against trouble to the wearer. Not surprisingly, the king is said to have worn it continuously for the last few days, prior to his flight. However, for the reasons unknown, the king at the last moment left it behind. It was found by the French nurse of the children of a Colonel Tytler near the gate by which the royal party had fled. The shirt passed into possession of the Tytler family. The Tytlers kept the shirt in a bank vault but, until this became known, they were the victims of several robberies and more than one serious attempt on their lives. As the story goes, during the Coronation Durbar in 1903, Nizam of Hyderabad made an offer of Rs 10,000 for it. Soon after, the Imam of Jama Masjid wanted Mrs. Tytler to allow him to exhibit it in the ground in front of the mosque for some fee that was to be shared by the mosque and Tytler. The exhibition was on the verge of taking place but was vetoed by the Commissioner of Delhi at the last moment, as he ‘could not possibly run the risk of a riot.’ Eventually, the daughter of the late Tytlers sold it to the Archeological survey in 1909 for a sum of Rs 12,000.

And I also came to know of the significance of the names of many islands and landmarks in Andamans from an article in Times of India that appeared recently.

Islands of Andaman: And then it is interesting to note that the British government named or renamed some of the islands of Andaman after the soldiers who had crushed the mutineers of 1857. Hugh Rose was one who defeated Rani Luxmibai. Names such Outram, Havelock, Nicholson, Neill are also associated with the Andaman’s. That was the British wished to glorify the British generals. The recently-created Rani Jhansi Marine National Park now cradles the islands named after Outram, John Lawrence and Henry Lawrence. A tourists’ jewel Havelock, is the name of the general who retook Lucknow from Nana Sahib. Quite incongruously a Subhas Mela is held on Havelock every January.

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose took symbolic control of Andamans and Nicobar for his Arzi Hukumat Azad Hind, renamed them Shaheed and Swaraj, flew the tricolour at Port Blair and appointed Colonel A D Loganathan of INA as governor of what was called a liberated part of India. However, the old names came back after World War II. The government in Delhi could take a decision to go back to the names given by Netaji.

Why can’t the names of the English generals associated with the islands in Andamans – Havelock, Henry Lawrence, John Lawrence, Neill, Outram, Inglis, Sir Hugh Rose, Paget be replaced by the heroes of the Great Uprising of 1857? Perhaps, that shows what we as a nation lack.

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One man’s fight to save 1857 heroine’s memory

On this very date in 1857, the sepoys mutinied in Meerut. Sepoys of the 20th Native Infantry went on the rampage, setting bungalows on fire and massacring British families.

The immediate reason for the rebellion and eruption of violence was the court martial and sentencing of 85 sepoys of the 3rd Light Infantry on May 9, 1857 in the presence of all the troops in Meerut.

On April 24, they had refused to use the cartridges of the new Enfield rifle, which they suspected to be greased with the fat of pigs and cows.

After they were stripped of their uniforms and their ankles shackled, they were marched off to prison. Lieutenant Gough said, “As they passed our regiment, carrying their boots which had been taken off for the purpose of fixing their fetters, a number of them threw them at the Colonel, cursing loudly in Hindustani, and calling to their comrades to remember them. There was a good deal of murmuring in our ranks, and had it not been for the presence of the British troops it is impossible to say what might have taken place.”

Over the past few months, there had been signs of unrest across northern India. Sepoys had become increasingly disenchanted with British officers. It was not uncommon for British officers to address Indian soldiers as ‘niggers’ and ‘suar’ (pig).

There is another story too. On the evening of May 9, after 85 sepoys of the 3rd Light Infantry were publicly humiliated and sent to prison, some of their fellow soldiers were seen in the brothels of the Sadar bazaar. It was not uncommon for the sepoys, many of whom spent long periods of time away from their families, to show up at the brothels.

However, the prostitutes refused to entertain the sepoys and sent them packing. One of the prostitutes present there was Dolly, the widow of a British sergeant. She said, “We told the sepoys that we have no kisses for cowards. We asked them if they were really men to allow their comrades to be fitted with anklets of iron and led off to prison? And for what? Because they would not swerve from their creed!”

Another prostitute from Kashmir, Sophie, added that the unanimous cry among the prostitutes was: “Go and rescue your comrades before coming to us for kisses.”

Interestingly, a similar taunt – but by a low caste labourer – could have sparked the unrest in Bengal earlier that year. According to sources, in January 1857, a labourer asked a sepoy for a drink of water from his lota. The sepoy, a Brahmin from Awadh, refused saying he would lose his caste. The labourer then shot back, “You will soon lose your caste altogether. For the Europeans are going to make you bite cartridges soaked in cow and pork fat. And then where will your caste be?”

Naturally, there must be some or many reasons that infuriated the sepoys all over the country, otherwise it couldn’t have that widespread. It was certainly the first war of independence, but without any central leadership and common objective for the country as whole.

We must remember those who gave their lives with gratitude. Without that beginning or protests against the injustices, we would not have moved to the next stage.
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1857 Revisited
Touchy uprising for teachers by AMIT ROY
Google- Sepoy Mutiny
India’s First Independence War
Images

Basically, we had visited Varanasi and Patna for the marriage of Babloo, the eldest son of Nirmal, my cousin, but it has so happened that I didn’t cover that in my blogging.

As it appeared, the marriage in Bihar and perhaps in all states still remains tied up with dowry. And in the dowry market, the worst is one who lives in village. Every parent wishes to get a bridegroom working in urban area. But I feel bad when a father who has not been able to do anything significant in life, and who has not earned himself demand dowry as if by having a son he has done something great and he must get his price. Nirmal has not done anything in life. He is a PH.D, but couldn’t get himself effectively engaged. In my prime day when he had finished his Master Degree from BHU, I had got him a job in HM taking an obligation from the then President. But very soon, he left the job for a temporary job in a private college. He had to pay some donation too for that job. Some years ago, he had left that job too and now has brought a house in Varanasi. He is so younger to me and does do anything to keep himself engaged. I don’t know why I feel bad about it.

Tilak ceremony was lavishly arranged. Nirmal had a large number of guests too. I kept going back to our young days when the tilak in village used to be a great festive affair. Nirmal’s father and my uncle was famous for his excessive benevolence. The whole village used to be in the courtyard of the village house.

Marriage in Patna was hardly that enjoyable as none from the bride side requested me to bring along Yamuna, who had come with me. Neither Nirmal could understand and appreciate what we wanted. I could go to the marriage courtesy Ashok, my other cousin who works in Railways as ACP at Vadodara. We joined the marriage procession. In the marriage today, everyone of all means are trying to copy the all the functions that are held by the affluent families of metros. The procession include band party with dancing boys and girls and fireworks. Even the rural Bihar also enjoys the dancing, perhaps they get a glimpse of a ‘nauch’ girls that used to be the part of rural marriages in good old days. Garland exchange between bride and bridegroom has come from urban marriages and has become an enjoyable part of the marriage rituals. Hardly anyone attends the actual marriage ceremony that goes on late in night. After the dinner that is all getting arranged buffet style in similar manner everywhere, the guests return. I returned with Ashok to Janardan’s place where we were staying. Jana Dan had to take the trouble. Shook keeps me reminding of the marriage and Norma’s way of treating us as one of the usual guest from the village. My uncle had come all the way from village. He undertakes this risk that he should not. I spent some quality time with him that evening.

And now I realize I must not consider myself an important member of the family that I thought I belong to. That is no more alive. The fragmentation has made the families small, nucleus and selfish.