Rao Tula Ram was one of the prominent leaders of the Indian Uprising of 1857 against the colonial British forces. His story is one of rebellion and guerrilla warfare against the stronger and better-equipped imperialist forces of the British Army.

He was born on 9 December 1825 in the well known Rao family in village Rampura in the district of Rewari (a two-hour drive south-west of Delhi), in what is now Haryana. His father was Puran and his mother’s name was Gyan. He was educated according to the then prevalent customs and he knew Persian, Urdu, Hindi and a small amount of English. In November 1839, Rao Tula Ram ascended the throne on the death of his father.

In 1857, on hearing the news of rebellion at Meerut and other places, the people of the Rewari rose up to support the uprising. In the Rewari area, lead was given by Rao Tula Ram. His cousin Gopal Dev also stood by him. The forefathers of the Raos had helped the Marathas in 1803 in the Second Anglo-Maratha War. The British confiscated their land and gave instead an ‘istamarari’, or grant, of about 58 villages. This was a great blow to the Raos, who were itching to fight the British Raj at the first available opportunity.

On l7 May 1857, Rao Tula Ram went to the ‘tehsil’, or headquarters, at Rewari with four to five hundred followers and took all the government buildings in their possession. For their headquarters, they chose Rampura, a small fortified village, one mile south-west of Rewari. Tula Ram, the elder Rao became Raja and Gopal Dev his commander-in-chief. After assuming charge, Rao Tula Ram organized the revenue department and collected revenue and taxes. He took donations and loans from the people of Rewari. He raised a force (about five thousand men) and set up a large workshop in the fort of Rampura where a substantial number of guns, gun-carriages and and ammunition were manufactured. Law and order was enforced.

At this time, Delhi was under attack from the British forces, so Rao Tula Ram helped the emperor Bahadur Shah in their fight against the British. But this help could not protect Delhi which fell to the British on September 20, 1857. Soon after Brigadier-General Showers led out a column (from Delhi) of 1,500 men with a light field battery, 18 two-pounder guns and two small mortars, “to attack and destroy Rao Tula Ram and his followers and to raze his fort (at Rewari).” The situation was serious and the Rao foresaw that a fight with the British forces in the mud fort of Rampura, in the changed circumstances after the fall of Delhi, would result in the complete destruction of his army without any serious loss to the British. So he left his fort before Showers’ arrival.

The fort of Rewari was taken by the British without any opposition on October 6th. Immediately after the occupation of Rewari, Brigadier-General Showers sent a messenger to Tula Ram telling him that if he submitted along with guns and arms, he would be treated on merits. But Tula Ram turned down the inducement and sent a strong column comprising about 1,500 troops under Colonel Gerrard, an officer of conspicuous merit on November 10, 1857. The column reached Rewari three days later. They occupied the abandoned fort of Rampura. Here they were joined by two squadrons of the Carabineers.

After a few days rest at Rewari (Rampura), on November 16, Gerrard marched to Narnaul. As the track was sandy, the column reached Nasibpur, a small village, two miles northwest of Narnaul and halted for a short rest. The rebel force, having abandoned their strong fort in the center of the town pounced on them. Rao Tula Ram’s first charge was irresistible and the British forces scattered before them. The Patiala Infantry and the Multani Horse on the British side were completely disheartened. But at this juncture, the Guides and the Carabineers came to their rescue and saved the situation. The British artillery was too much for the rebels. But soon the situation took an unexpected turn when Col. Gerrand was mortally wounded by a musket ball.

With this, the British too, were demoralized. Taking full advantage of the circumstances, Rao Tula Ram swooped down upon them. The British could not stand the charge and the Multani Horse fled away in bewilderment. They recaptured their guns and inflicted heavy losses on the enemy. The right and the left wings of the British forces were thrown into confusion.

Appreciating the gravity of the situation Major Caulfield, the officiating British Commandant, ordered his artillery to start heavy bombardment and his cavalry and infantrymen to charge straight on with full force in to their front ranks. Rao Tula Ram’s forces fought back furiously and stood their grounds. The British artillery fire, nevertheless, broke their backbone and split their forces into two parts – one engaged in the close quarter battle and the other fleeing to go out of the range of the British guns. Rao Tula Ram was defeated that day but managed to flee to safety. His escape frustrated the British.

The battle of Narnaul was undoubtedly one of the most decisive battles of the Uprising of 1857. The English felt jubilant over their success in this confrontation, for it marked the “beginning of the end” of the crucial period of the struggle in the Haryana region and northern Rajasthan. After the battle, Rao Tula Ram moved into Rajasthan; then joined Tatya Tope’s forces for one year. On 1 November 1858, the British issued the promise of unconditional pardon and amnesty to all the “mutineers” except those who directly or indirectly took part in the murder of British subjects. Rao Tula Ram knew that with the blood of many British soldiers and subjects on his hands, this did not include him. He left India for Iran in 1862. 

Once the uprising of 1857 was over, the wrath of the British was unleashed. People in the Rewari and Narnaul areas were hung or shot dead and their villages burnt. In Iran, he plotted revenge against the British. From Iran he travelled to Afghanistan, where tragically, in the winter of 1862, he died after becoming ill in Kabul at the young age of 38.

by  Tarunpal Singh Yadav

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400 years ago British merchants landed on the coast of India and founded a trading post to export goods to London. Over the next 200 years, their tiny business grew into a commercial titan. Using the letters and diaries of the men and women who were there, this documentary tells the story of the East India Company, which revolutionised the British lifestyle, sparked a new age of speculation and profit and by accident created one of the most powerful empires in history.

Yet inexorable rise ended in ignominy. Dogged by allegations of greed, corruption and corporate excess, by the 1770s the company’s reputation was in tatters. Blamed for turning its back as millions died in the Bengal famine, and thrown into crisis by a credit crunch in Britain, the world’s most powerful company had run out of cash, sparking a government intervention.

Courtesy BBC

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VARANASI: The birth place of Maharani Lakshmi Bai, which was renovated and turned into a memorial only last year by the tourism department, is lying in utter neglect in absence of a proper system for its upkeep. Forget a gatekeeper, the department has not even provided this place with basic necessities required for daily maintenance. Even a visitor’s register was not provided by the government officials to the memorial which sees over 250 visitors, including foreigners, on a daily basis.

In a noble gesture, a group of professors from Banaras Hindu University ( BHU) and some locals provided some necessary articles like visitor’s register, broom, water tubes, scissors and knives for gardening by means of charity and donation.

As there is no appointed caretaker or gatekeeper to look after the memorial, a local family led by Harinath Prasad Gond takes care of the upkeep of the memorial without any financial support from the government. “I have been looking after this place for the past 10 years as I am inspired and attached with this place. I sleep here at night and sweep and wash the entire area almost daily and even contributed as a labourer during the renovation work. The work requiring cutting the grasses, cleaning the statue and other maintenance is done by me and my wife. But we do not get any money from any department. It is the locals who come and donate some money and articles to us for the upkeep of the place,” Harinath said.

Harinath is a poor labourer and his wife works as a help in some houses in the locality. Despite their poor condition, they are looking after the place. Harinath and his family has placed a donation box and tourists and visitors donate some money voluntarily for the upkeep of the place.

According to Harinath, the place has also seen some architectural damage. The metal mount situated behind the golden coloured statue fell a few days ago and is still to be repaired. The water fountains are also lying defunct. Harinath has written to several officials to make permanent arrangement for the upkeep of the place but nothing has been done yet.

The memorial, after its renovation was completed in November 2012, is yet to be handed over to Varanasi Municipal Corporation (VMC) and the proposal is pending for a year now. Earlier in March 2013, Uttar Pradesh tourism minister Om Prakash Singh visited the place and ordered to place a sign board, solar street lights and coupling bricks pathway near the memorial. But several months after the order, the street lights and sign boards are yet to be provided.

Regional tourism officer Ravindra Mishra was not available for comments. When Mayor Ramgopal Mohale was contacted, he said, “I am not in a position to comment at the moment.”

A budget of Rs 52.24 lakh was spent on the project and construction work was started in 2010. The memorial comprises a golden colour statue of Lakshmi Bai, accompanied by pictorial representation of major events from the life of the warrior queen on the side walls. The boundary lines of the campus have been constructed with pink stones. The motivational stories and events from Lakshmi Bai’s life have been carved out.

The inscription of lines from the poetry (Khoob Ladi Mardani …) written by Subhadra Kumari Chauhan on the side walls fill evoke feelings of respect and patriotism.

Prior to the renovation, the birthplace had been lying neglected for a long time. According to Harinath, very often tourists and educationists used to come in search of the birth place of the warrior queen but after witnessing its condition, they had to return dejected. At present, the memorial attracts thousands of tourists, educationists, historians and students to witness the birth place of the woman, who was an epitome of bravery and empowerment.

source

Read : Lakshmi Bai : Warrior Queen of Jhansi

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Rani Chennamma

Rani Chennamma sent a letter to Governor at Bombay to plead the cause of Kittur, but Lord Elphinstone turned down the request leading to all out war. The British tried to confiscate the treasure and jewels of Kittur (valued around Fifteen Lakhs of rupees) and attacked with a force of 200 men and four guns, mainly from the third troop of Madras Native Horse Artillery. In the first round of war, during October 1824, British forces lost heavily with St John Thackeray, Collector and Political agent, killed by the Rani’s forces. Two British officers, Sir Walter Elliot and Mr. Stevenson^[ were also taken as hostages.

Rani Chennamma released the hostages with an understanding with Chaplin that the war would be terminated. But Chaplin treacherously continued the war with even more soldiers. Chennamma fought fiercely with the aid of her lieutenant, Sangolli Rayanna, but was ultimately captured and imprisoned at Bailhongal Fort, where she died on 21 February 1829. Sangolli Rayanna continued the guerrilla war up to 1829 until his capture, but it was in vain, and was caught due to treachery and hanged.

Chennamma was born 56 years before the 1857 rebel Rani of Jhansi, and was thus the first woman to fight against British governance and the kappa tax. Her legacy and first victory are still commemorated in Kittur, during the Kittur Utsava of every 22–24 October. On 11 September 2007 a statue of Rani Chennamma was unveiled at the Indian Parliament Complex by Pratibha Patil, the first woman President of India. Her statues are installed at Bangalore and Kittur also. Rani Chennamma’s samadhi or burial place is in Bailhongal taluk, but is in neglected state with poor maintenance and the place is surrounded by a small park maintained by Government agencies.

Rani Chennamma’s samadhi or burial place

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