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DI:Personality
Jhansi Lakshmi Bai
Introduction
The great heroine of the First war of India Freedom. She lived for only twenty-two years.
She became a widow in her eighteenth year. Jhansi, of which she was the queen, was in
the grip of the cunning, cruel British. She was the embodiment of patriotism,
self-respect and heroism. She was the queen of a small state, but the empress of a
limitless empire of glory.
Jhansi Lakshmi Bai
It was one evening after the rainy season. Outside Bethur, along the road on the banks
of Ganga, three horses were galloping. Two riders were young men and one a girl.
A Brave Girl
When one of the young men overtook her, the little girl galloped her horse faster and
overtook him. Was the young man to accept defeat? Of course, he tried to overtake her
but his horse stumbled and he feel down.
"O Manoo, I am dead"
When she heard that sorrowful cry, the girl rode back. The young man had been hurt and
wad bleeding. With difficulty she lifted him mad him sit on her horse. By that time
the other rider also joined them. All the three returned to the palace.
When the horse returned without the rider, Baji Rao the Second, the Peshwa of the
Mahrata Empire, was quite disturbed. Although Moropanth who was with him tried to
soothe him, his mind was troubled. When his children returned he breathed a sigh of
relief.
The injured youth was Baji Rao’s adopted son Nana Saheb and his companion, his younger
brother Rao Saheb. The girl was Manubai, the only daughter of Moropanth, a member of
the Peshwa’s council.
When they returned home Moropanth said:
"Manu, how unfortunate! Nana has been seriously hurt. "
"Not so, father; he has been hurt just a little. Did not Abhimanyu continue to fight
although seriously injured?"
"Those times were different, Manu. "
"What is the difference, father? It is the same sky, the same earth. The sun and
the moon are also the same. "
"But Manu, the fortunes of the country have changed. This is the age of British. We
are powerless before them. "
The father’s reasoning did not appeal to the daughter. The father himself had taught
her the lessons of the lives and the examples of the saintly Seeta, the brave Jeejabai
and the brave Tarabai.
Another incident happened in the same town of Bethur: Nana saheb and Rao Saheb went
out on an elephant. Baji Rao wanted to send Manubai with them. Moropanth also wished
it. But their wish was not fulfilled. Nana Saheb asked the mahout to move on. Manu was
disappointed.
The father said to the daughter when they were back home: "Manu, we must move with
the times. Are we chieftains or kings to ride elephants? We should not wish for
something for which we are not destined. "
"No, not so, father; I am destined to own not one but several elephants, " replied Manu.
"So, be it. "
"Father dear, I will not practise shooting with a rifle, " so saying she left.
Observing her manly qualities Moropanth was troubled.
Child Marriage
Baji Rao the Second was the Peshwa only in name. The British East India Company was
paying him a pension of eight lakh rupees a year and had given the ‘jagir’
(the free gift) of Bethur.
Bhagirathibai was the wife of Moropanth. She was good-looking, cultured, intelligent
and godly. Manubai was the daughter of this ideal couple.
The child, born on the Second day of Karthika (the 19th of November 1835) was
beautiful like her mother. She had a broad forehead and big eyes. Her face reflected
royalty.
Manu lost her mother when she was four years old. The entire duty of bringing up the
daughter fell on the father. Along with formal education she acquired skill in sword
fight, horse riding and shooting with a gun.
The young girl became the wife of Gangadhar Rao, Maharaja of Jhansi, in 1842. The poor
Brahmin’s girl became Rani Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi.
Those Dark Days
It was the beginning of the nineteenth century. The British who came to India for
trade began steadily to acquire political power in the name of the East India Company.
The Indian rajas and maharajas who were engaged in quarrels competed with one another
to become puppets in the hands of the British.
Every misfortune of India at the time was used to expand the British Empire. One kind
of agreement was reached when the British had the upper hand, quite a different kind
of agreement was reached when the British were defeated. In any case, the Indians were
the suffers.
Diminished Power
After the British removed the last Peshwa from power, their arrogance was bound- less.
They brushed aside even the Mughul Emperor.
Dawn is the child of the night. On one side there was a determined effort to destroy
freedom; on the other side attempts were being made to get ride of slavery.
The love of freedom can never be put down; the more it is suppressed the stronger it
grows. On one side the crowns of the native kings were trembling, the kings were
accepting the humiliating conditions imposed by the Company government and their
states were being made protected states. ON the other hand, the desires was growing
to nip British rule in the bud and defend the country’s freedom and honour. But
outwardly there was calm; every thing was being done secretly; the country was like
the Volcano which is silent and secret before erupting.
The Story Of Jhansi
Jhansi is now the headquarters of a district in Uttar Pradesh. There were two
conditions in the treaty between the British and the Raja of Jhansi – the first,
that, whenever the British needed help Jhansi should help them, and, the second, that
the consent of the British was necessary to decide who should be the ruler of Jhansi.
So the seed of total ruin was sown.
In 1838 the British appointed Gangadhar Rao as the Raja.
The former Raja Raghunath Rao had left the treasury empty. The administration had
collapsed and the people had no place. Gangadhar Rao quickly set right everything.
The place acquired more cattle, elephant and horses. The armoury was well stocked with
arms and ammunition. The army had five thousand infantry and five hundred cavalry; and
these were supported by artillery.
But the British army was also stationed in the State. On this account alone the
treasury was spending rupees 2, 27, 000.
A Crushing Blow
In 1851 Maharani Lakhsmi Bai gave birth to a son. But the fate was cruel; within
three months the chi8ld died. Gangadhar Rao was troubled about the future of the state.
This led to mentalillness.
The reason for that distress was the cruel rule followed by Lord Dalhousie, the then
Governor General. Some native rulers had accepted the help of the British; the British,
in return, had imposed a condition: if the ruler died without children the British
would take over the state. Even if the ruler adopted a son, the adopted son would not
have ruling powers. Lord Dalhousie’s rule was this: a yearly pension would be fixed
for the descendants and the full responsibility for protecting the state would be that
of the British Government.
Applying this rule the British had swallowed many native states. Now it was the turn of
Jhansi. To Mamaraja Gangadhar Rao, who was already old, this was a serious blow. He
was bedridden. In 1853 the Maharaja and Lakshmi Bai decided to adopt Anand Rao, a boy
of their community.
Anand Rao was adopted according to religious rites and he as named Damodar Rao.
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