প্রতিধ্বতি the Echo ISSN: 2278-5264

প্রতিধ্বতি the Echo A journal of Humanities & Social Science Published by: Dept. of Bengali Karimganj College, Karimganj, Assam, India Website: www.thecho.in Role of Various Classes in the Revolt Of 1857 Bishwajit Bhattacharjee Asst. Prof., Dept. of Bengali, Karimganj College, Karimganj Abstract Culturally the Indians were always “one”. The Titular Mughal Emperor was there to serve as a thread of unity among the Indians. The British showed disrespect to the Emperor which offended the Indians in General and the Muslims in special. India possesses its own economic system mainly based on agriculture and small industry. The foreign rulers were sending Indian raw-materials to Britain for feeding their new born industries and thus were exploiting Indian resources. The “Doctrine of Lapse” or “Escheat” policy destroyed the Indian Industries. Indian Artisans, craftsman etc. became jobless and the burden of farmland increased. Poverty grabbed seriously the people. The Indian soldiers were paid low-salaries (starting from Rs. 7 to the end of Rs. 9). Indian soldiers were ill-treated in Army by the English causing rise of discrimination in their mind. The number of Indians in Army was far larger than the British sepoys (ratio 6:1). Most of the Indian soldiers were belong to Brahmin and Thakurs of East-India. A general discontent existed among all the Indian soldiers. Such dis-satisfaction were intensified by the Lord Canning introduction of “General Service Act” which required by the sepoys to march anywhere of British Empire. It is obvious that Indian sepoys had natural love and respect their motherland and faith of their own religion. The introduction of Enfield rifle with the cartridges greased with the fat of cow and pig, obnoxious to both the Hindus and Muslims set the spark that enkindled the embers of discontent of the Indian sepoy stored in them for a long time.

Culturally the Indians were always Indians in General and the “one”. The Titular Mughal Muslims in special. The Muslim Emperor was there to serve as a was already sore at the loss of the thread of unity among the Indians. post supremacy. Lord Dalhousie‟s The British showed dis-respect to policy of annexation, the the Emperor which offended the “Doctrine of Lapse” or “Escheat”-

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প্রতিধ্বতি the Echo ISSN: 2278-5264 by which may princely states of religious sentiments of the India were indiscriminately Indians. annexed to British. Especially Abolition of “sati” Nana Sahib the adopted son of last Custom by the Lord William Peshowa, Rani Laxmibai of Bentinck, Hindu Widow and the Nawab of Avodh were Remarriage by law etc. put a deep extremely injured by this policy. hit on the Hindu religious India possesses its own feelings. economic system mainly based Seizure of religious grants on agriculture and small to both Hindus and Muslims and industry. The foreign rulers were side by side condemnations of sending Indian raw-materials to eastern religious (Hinduism, Britain for feeding their new born Buddhism, Muslimism) also industries and thus were deeply it in the religious faith of exploiting Indian resources. This the Indians. policy destroyed the Indian The unwarranted Industries. Indian Artisans, aggressive spirit of some craftsman etc. became jobless Christian Missionaries on and the burden of farmland systematic planned manner, by increased. Poverty grabbed giving jobs to the converted poor seriously the people. Indian to Christianity was also States and jaigirs of the hated seriously. These types of princes and other aristocratic conversions too created hate people were confiscated who against the British. became destitute and in the result The spread of English skilled persons employed under teaching in Schools, spread of them became jobless. This led Western culture, introduction of them to join the revolt against the railways, telegraphs system etc. British. The soldiers of the were also began to eye with confiscated states lost their suspicion among the Indians as means of bread. So they also because they were seriously joined the mutiny against the oppressed by the aggressive British. imperialism of British as whole. It is a fact that the Indian The efforts of British to invite life is based on religion. The western culture to Indian life lad attach men of religion has kept to a serious discontent. the Indians united. As per Hindu The Indian soldiers were customs adoption was an paid low-salaries (starting from important ritual which was Rs. 7 to the end of Rs. 9). Indian refused by the British. This soldiers were ill-treated in Army refusal affected the social and by the English causing rise of

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প্রতিধ্বতি the Echo ISSN: 2278-5264 discrimination in their mind. The Marathies, Rajputs, Jats, Ruhilas number of Indians in Army was all fought together against the far larger than the British sepoys British under leadership of (ratio 6:1). Most of the Indian Bahadur Shah-II the last Mughal soldiers were belong to Brahmin Emperor. and Thakurs of East-India. They We observe that the were sensitive being high caste backbone of the revolt was Army Hindu. A general suspicion grew (Sepoys). Nana Sahib , up in their mind as to the Azimulla Khan, Mughal Emperor westernizing and christianizing Bahadur Shah-II, Begum Hazrsat policy of the British. Mahal of Oudh, Rani Laxmibai of Such dis-satisfaction Jhansi, Khan Bahadur Khan of were intensified by the Lord Barrielly all led the revolt. Canning introduction of Kanwar Sing aged about 80 “General Service Act” which years, Tantia Tope, Moulavi required by the sepoys to march Ahmed Shah, Raja Honumant anywhere of British empire. A Singh fought to oust of the general discontent existed among British. all the Indian soldiers. We see that Hindu It is obvious that Indian Mukundaram was principal sepoys had natural love and Secretary of Bahadur Shah-II, respect their motherland and faith Azimulla Khan was the principal of their own religion. advisor of the renouned revel The introduction of Enfield leader Nana Sahieb. This clever rifle with the cartridges greased and intelligent leader published in with the fat of cow and pig, his newspaper- “Piyas-I-Azadi”- obnoxious to both the Hindus and “The Hindu and Muslims Muslims set the spark that Brothers of India awake”!! Dear enkindled the embers of dis- brothers be hostile to British. The content of the Indian sepoy stored best thing that God gifted man is in them for a long time. On 29- “Freedom”. The oppressive 03-1857 the Brahmin sepoy foreigners snatched away that “” fired the first supreme wealth of us by playing short of the revolt 1957 in falsr tricks. Shall we bear this Bengal. forever? No, never……The The participant of the English Government will try to the revolt were both Hindus use Hindus and Muslims each and Muslims. The Zaminders, other. Dear brothers never put Artisians, Pndits Phakirs, your steps in their devil trap. Dear businessmen all gradually joint Hindu and muslim brothers the revolt. Hindustanies, forgetting minor discrimination

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প্রতিধ্বতি the Echo ISSN: 2278-5264 get together unitedly under a flag destroyed valuable documents and in this war for independence.” official records by fire. (Adhunik Bharoter Itihas, by Though in this great revolt Goutam Chattapadhyay and large number of general civil Manju Chattapadhyay). people, farmer, artisans and labour It appears that the leaders class people joined themselves of the rebellion were fully yet some Zaminders, acquainted with their weakness as businessmen, influencial persons well as their target and as such favoured by British, showed their they earnestly wanted the unity of loyality to the British. Talmiz both the main classes of India and Khaldun pointed out that the in this juncture they were very Zaminders and Mohajon class of much successful to remove Bengal and also the English communalism from the Indians. knowing intellectual class actively In Delhi Bhakat Khan a supported and help the British at sepoy led the rebellion. In the time of rebellion. (The great Nana Sahib declared himself as rebellion, T. Khaldun). “Peshuawa”, Tatya Tope and As per the dated 13-09- Azimulla Khan organized the war 1857issued by the Company on behalf of Nana Sahib. In Government it appears that “As Lucknow Begum Hazarat Mahal the revolt was shaped as favorable of Oudh led the revolt of declaring character and as it appears her adopted son as Nawab of impossible to identify the large Oudh. Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi number of participants the conquered with the help Magistrates ordered to burn out or of Tatya Tope In Bihar Kanwar to destroy the villages as a whole Singh of Jagdispur, a Zaminder, of those villages from which the led the rebellion. Moulavi villagers took active part in the Ahmedulla led the rebellion at revolt.” According to general Faziabad, Rohilakhand. All of Homes “ only at Oudh 1,50,000 them fought against the British to no‟s of armed rebels were oust them from Hindustan. assassinated, out of which only In North and Middle post 35,000 were sepoys.” of India a “General Revolt” started Noticing the uprising of side by side the rebellion. The 10th May 1857 of the sepoys in civil populations, displaced Meerut,m the then Dewan of peasants, dispossessed Zaminders British of Assam, “Muniram oppressed Tribal populations and Boruagh” was influenced and the dissatisfied sepoys fought inspired to make free Assam from together. The aggrieved people not the grab of British. His plan was to only attacked the British but also drive away the English from

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প্রতিধ্বতি the Echo ISSN: 2278-5264

Assam with the help of Indian did not join the revolt. Rather sepoys of Assam and to make some of them directly helped the “Kandarpeswar Singh” as the king British with wealth, soldiers, of Assam. He accordingly sent fooding materials etc. secret message from Calcutta to We noticed the educated Kanderpeswar Singh and Piayali Indians of various parts of India Boruah and some others. only find out that the rebellion was Thereafter and uprising uprising for the interest of the grew up among the sepoys of Muslim Community to gain their Gauhati, Jhorhat, Dibrugarh and lost pride. Further educated Goalpara. But the rebaellion was Bengali Hindus mainly observed stronglu suppressed by British the communal side of the great Officers and the conspiracy of revolt. Moniram Baruh was focused by At the time of great one Harnath Parbotia for which rebellion, various newspaper of the entire plan was failed. Kolkata such as “Sombad Kandarpeshwar Singh was Probhakor”, “Sombad Bhaskar” arrested and abandoned to “Somprokash” etc. published Bardwan. Piyali Baruah, Maya various articles against the revolt. Ram Nazir, Patiram Baruh, Madhu These newspaper mainly pointed mallik, Bahadur Gaonbura, that “ the revolt was Marangi Guru Gohai, Karmid Ali ………associated with the interest etc. were arrested, Some sepoys of regaining political power of was suspended and some were the Indian Muslim abandoned Captain Charles Community….the communal halraid, the Commissioner figure became prominent in lieu Shivsagar ordered to hang of national figure of the rebellion Moniram Dewan and Piyali to the educated Bengali Hindus” Baruah. It is observed that (Banglar Samajik Itihaser Dhara Moniram Baruah led the by Binoy Ghose, Page-293). aristocratic class of Assam who We see that Punjab and were dis-satisfied upon the British archa, Datia, Gewalior, sampthar for a etc. states of Uttar prodesh directly Long time. acted against the rebels. They We carefully observed that fought against the rebel‟s along in spite of great efforts by the with the British Army. leaders to generalize the revolt all We carefully observe that from over the India some states, land Bengal to Bihar, Uttar Prodesh to lords like Punjab, Gujrat, Delhi civil people join the sepoys Hyderabad, Madras, Mysore, who were directly or indirectly Bombay, Bengal, South India etc. oppressed by the British. They

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প্রতিধ্বতি the Echo ISSN: 2278-5264 could realize that only by ousting In a national movement the British they can earn peace and each and every class of people use certainty in their life. to join it. The character of the At the end of the revolt we revolt of 1857 clearly indicates see that the east-India Company that all class of the Indians of ceased to exist. The control of the Middle and north India specially, Indian Government finally directly or indirectly, were assumed by the British crown. associated in the revolt which was This revolt taught an extreme brutally suppressed by the British lesson to the foreign imperialistic Empire. But, the flame of traders, invaders. The active nationalism kindled in the revolt participation of various classes by their supreme sacrifice of the clearly indicates that there was a rebels ultimately forced the British direct fight between mainly two to Quit India within next century. classes one of which extortioner The call of the “Delhi Chalo” and and the other is subjected to “Meri Jhansi nehi Dungi” – I shall extortion. We can refer here the not surrender my Jhansi – shall massage written in the essay news remain a call of aspiration for sent from India by Carl Marx that- freedom in the mind of all the “The rebellion which the British Indians forever. ruler termed as mere a military uprising was a actually national movement.”

REFERENCES: English Book: 1. “India‟s Freedom Struggle, ….An Epic Sacrifice And Sufferings” By G. P. Prodhan. 2. “An Advanced ” by R. C Mazumder, H.C. Roy Chaudhury, Kalikinkar Dutta. 3. “Analytical History of India” by Robert Sewell. 4. “Freedom Movement”- Higher Secondary Political Science by Kripesh Ch. P5. “Elements of History” by B. Barman Roy. 6. “The Great Rebellion” by Talmiz Khaldun. 7. “The Revolt of Hindustan” By Arnest Jones. 8. “History of Sipahi War” By John Kee. 9. “A history of Indian Mutiny” by T.R. Homes.

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প্রতিধ্বতি the Echo ISSN: 2278-5264

Bengali Books: 1. “Agun Jwolechilo” by Mohashweta Devi. 2. “Sipahi Juddher Itihas” (Vol. I-V) By Rajani Kanta Gupta. 3. “Adhunik Bharater Itihas” by Gautam Chattapadhyay and Manju Chattapadhyay. 4. “Banglar Samajik Itihaser Dhara” by Binoy Ghose. 5. “Atharosho Satanner Bidroho” by Ashok Meheta. 6. “Bangalee buddhijibi O Sipahi Bidroho” (essay) by Binoy Ghose. 7. “Jhansir Rani” by Chandi Charan Sen.

Journal and Newspaper: 1. “1857 er Mohabidroho : Bangali Maddhobitto O Buddijibider Bhumika” (essay) by Aminul Islam, „Anustup‟ , Prak-Saradiya, grismo-borsha sonkhya, 2. “Sipahi Bidroher Dersho Bochor” (essay) by Subhas Dey published in „Sentinal‟, 08-08-08.

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