Impact of the highly improbable – Part 7

In the previous post I had mentioned about two significant events which I had termed as, “The Cartridge Effect” and “The Bundelkand Effect”.

First let us look at the Cartridge Effect and the personality connected with that incident. Mangal Pandey

On February 26, 1857 the 19th Bengal Native Infantry (BNI) regiment became concerned that new cartridges they had been issued were wrapped in paper greased with cow and pig fat, which had to be opened by mouth thus affecting their religious sensibilities.

Photo of the Enfield Rifle, the pending adoption of which caused unrest in the Bengal Army in early 1857 (Source: Wikipedia)

 

The cartridge was thought to be greased with animal fat, primarily from pigs and cows, which could not be consumed by Muslims and Hindus respectively (the former being abhorrent to Muslims and the latter a holy animal of the Hindus). The cartridges had to be bitten at one end before use. The Indian troops were of the opinion that this was an intentional act of the British, with the aim of defiling their religions. And obviously British did not realize the impact of such sentiments or may be they did not estimate the power such sentiments could evoke. A black swan again.

On March 29, 1857 at the Barrackpore (now Barrackpur) parade ground, near Calcutta (now Kolkata), 29-year-old Mangal Pandey of the 34th BNI, angered by the actions of the East India Company declared that he would rebel against his commanders. He was hanged on April 8th 1857. This incident triggered and marked the beginning of what came to be known as the Sepoy Mutiny, India's First War of Independence or Indian Mutiny of 1857.

 The Mangal Pandey cenotaph on Surendranath Banerjee road at Barrackpore Cantonment, West Bengal (Source: Wikipedia)

 

But introduction of the cartridge was not the only policy mistake which the British did. Another policy which affected the nobles at that time was Doctrine of Lapse which contributed to the “Bundelkand Effect”

The Doctrine of Lapse was an annexation policy purportedly devised by Lord Dalhousie, who was the Governor General for the East India Company in India between 1848 and 1856. Dalhousie applied the Doctrine of Lapse vigorously for annexing Indian princely states, but the policy was not solely his invention. Even before him there were many states annexed by the Company. But his actions were more intensive. I would term Doctrine of Lapse as the biggest Black Swan the company ignored.

Lord Dalhousie, the  Governor-General of

India from 1848 to 1856 (Source: Wikipedia)

 

According to the Doctrine, any princely state or territory under the direct influence of the British East India Company (the dominant imperial power in the subcontinent), as a vassal state under the British Subsidiary System, would automatically be annexed if the ruler was either "manifestly incompetent or died without a direct heir". The latter meant that adopted child would not get the right to rule and this interfered with the traditional system of inheritance. In addition, the British decided whether potential rulers were competent enough. The doctrine and its application were widely regarded by Indians as illegitimate

The company took over the princely states of Satara (1848), Jaitpur and Sambalpur (1849), Nagpur and Jhansi (1854), Tanjore and Arcot (1855), Udaipur and Awadh (Oudh, 1856, with the reason that the ruler was not ruling properly) using this doctrine. The Company added about four million pounds sterling to its annual revenue by use of this doctrine.

Did the nobles just accept their fate? 

No there was one who led the rebellion and interestingly she was not a king but the Queen. The famous Queen of Bundelkand.

As famous Indian poetess Subhadra Kumari Chauhan describes in her poem

 “Sinhasan hil uthey raajvanshon ney bhrukuti tani thi,

budhey Bharat mein aayee phir se nayi jawani thi,

gumee huee azadi ki keemat sabney pehchani thi,

door phirangi ko karney ki sab ney man mein thani thi.

Chamak uthi san sattavan mein, yeh talwar purani thi,

Bundeley Harbolon key munh hamney suni kahani thi,

Khoob ladi mardani woh to Jhansi wali Rani thi.”

 “The thrones shook and royalties scowled

Old India was re-invigorated with new youth

People realised the value of lost freedom

Everybody was determined to throw the foreigners out

The old sword glistened again in 1857

This story we heard from the mouths of Bundel bards (Religious singers of Bundelkand)

Like a man she fought, she was the Queen of Jhansi”!!

 To be continued…