Reflections

The most common misconception is that The Indian Independence Struggle started with The Mahatma, or with The Lokamanya, or indeed with Gopal Krishn Gokhale; a rising stream of thought credits Netaji, with another stream adamant on crediting The Mahatma; nothing could be more simplistic; and nothing could a more incomplete picture of the true story . The events leading upto and of 1857 were integrally connected with the Independence Struggle in the latter period of 1900-1947, and deserve equal credit. Furthermore, crediting any one single event or source is also not advisable. Such an attempt assumes history to be a standstill pond – rather than the river it is in reality. Let us look at the full picture in a relative short panoramic and simplified view, focussing on key factors that will hopefully place the entire scenario in front of everyone’s eyes FACT NO 1 : THE INDIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS   {Let us first settle this, as it is at the center of the current debate}...

This is based on the book referenced below; I have also read one of the books the main source I have referred to, which has also been linked below. This is an unknown part of Indian History... The First War Of Independence in 1857, and how the British won it... This is what I call The Genocide of Indians in 1857 - 59 : This took place in 2 waves - and was planned at the topmost levels of the British Hierarchy. Village after village were targeted in a cold-blooded manner, and emptied of its citizens through murder - planned, brutal and cold-blooded murder. This was not an impassioned outrage {albeit fanned by vested interests}, nor was it done as a result of a conquerers victory in war. What makes it mind-numbingly shocking and stunning is the simple fact that this was planned, and perpetrated as a vicious punishment, as a war strategy to take the war to civilian non-combatants with an intention of defeating the enemy - against a people who were fighting for independenc...

1857, The event known, till date, as the Sepoy Mutiny by a fairly large segment of our population. Even those who refer to it as a War of Independence call it a spontaneous uprising; thanks largely to the incorrect narrative of the war written and recorded by the English, and dutifully followed by Indian Historians inspite of pervasive evidence to the contrary. Even the most balanced of books on the national movement refer to the presence of some form of conspiracy, but leave it at that, saying no proof exists. Surprisingly, they did not need to look any further than an existing book - Mazhaa Pravaas - an eyewitness account of the events, that lay bare the reality. I have read and reviewed its English translation on my Blog, so am aware, and recognise the need for an honest investigation into the reality of 1857. The current book under review, is a truly commendable start in that direction. This book goes much further than that one single source stated above...

1857, The First War Of Independence... what was its true significance and importance in our freedom struggle? To understand this, we first have to understand the sequence of events leading upto and during 1857... Until we really colonise India, and raise up a European element in the population... Edward Humphreys, Manual of British Government In India, 1857 ..May be no dilatoriness on any account in continuing in the country the grand work of making India Christian - Mr Mangles, Chair, EEIC, in the house of Commons, Early 1857 The whole land has been shaken by missions to its innermost centre... the Hindu trembles for his religion, and the Muslim for his... Rev M A Sherring, The Indian Church During The Great Rebellion, 1858 Areas covered by the proclamation of Bahadur Shah Zafar: Taxation (I commit to lower taxes, to preserve the dignity...); Trade and Commerce (Open trade of every article, both by land and water, to all Indian Merchants, access to Capital, lower...

This is the second part of the post :  http://reflectionsvvk.blogspot.in/2013/10/facing-up-to-our-colonial-heritage-part.html The dawn of the early 1950s saw the recession of colonialism as a workable model of growth across the world; by the end of this decade, Colonialism was a dead word in the world at large, with only a few sporadic colonies remaining. 50 years and more have passed since that day (67 for India); and the development and growth, while present in India, has done little to solve the crippling problems facing the Indian nation. We are undoubtedly much, much better off - with world class amenities in the cities, a tremendously improved amenity profile in the villages, a bustling economy, stupendous success in high-tech sectors - where we are one among the top 6-7 nations in the world, much better infrastructure, improved - in fact, highly improved health facilities in towns and villages with world-rated medical centers in the cities, a multitude of renowned grow...

From the days of our early schooling, we come across innumerable references to our glorious time of the ancient past; we are subsequently exposed to the Arab and Mughal conquests, and thence to the independence period during the course of our schooling. As we grow into our teens and the early twenties, various external sources also fashion our understanding of our past, which we eventually come to accept as the absolute truth, without questioning anything. Rarely do we question anything; rather, we accept it at face value as more often than not, it comes from sources that we consider above reproach: namely, western sources, school books and Media – international as well as Indian.  Take a look at a few instances of modern distortions that are materially impacting us in some ways – both small and large: 1. Most people in the West consider our distance from them largely due to our pro-Russian tilt, and defend their pro-Pakistan posture due to this. However, the correct histo...

We shall look at the 1857 War in greater detail at a later date; in this post, I shall attempt to introduce an aspect of the 1857 that has been left untouched by recorded history, which simply does not do justice to the entire heroic and horrendous affair that was the First War Of Independence. Today, let us take a look at a man honoured by the civilized britishers with the Victoria Cross, and was also knighted by the Queen. This man’s name was Hugh Rose, about whom Captain F. W. Pinkney writes : “The example made at Jhansi will, I have no doubt, have an excellent effect in facilitating the tranquilizing of Bundelkhand”… We in India can refer to him as the Butcher Of Jhansi… He is the same man who choreographed a terrifying dance of death spread over 4 days – a dance of death that is so horrifying in its detail, so brutal in its scope and so evil in its scale, that it ranks as a genocide as far as I am concerned. This was the Genocide of Jhansi… This should also give you ...