The Queen of Oudh

Begum Hazrat Mahal

(1820 – 1879)

Together with many valiant men, there were hundreds of brave women who laid down their lives for the cause of our motherland. Begum Hazrat Mahal was one among the earliest freedom fighters who left an enduring mark in the archives of Indian freedom struggle by her audacity and devotion to the country. A courageous leader who shook the foundation of the British in The Revolt of 1857 or the First War of Indian Independence.

She was born as Muhammadi Khanum in Awadh or Oudh, India in 1820 to a Syed family which were apparently the descendants of Prophet Muhammad. She was taken into the royal harem as a ‘khawasin’ after being sold by her parents and later sold again to royal agents becoming a ‘pari’. The King of Awadh, Wajid Ali Shah married her at the age of 14 for her exceptional beauty and purity of lineage. She was bequeathed the title ‘Hazrat Mahal’ upon giving birth to her son, Birjis Quder. Avadh was a land of milk and honey and a heaven on earth until the black day of 7 February 1856 when Lord Dalhousie captured the kingdom overnight. The British ordered Wajid Ali Shah to step down from the throne; Hazrat Mahal insisted her husband to fight for the kingdom on the battlefield. However, he handed over the kingdom to the British and was banished to Calcutta. Hazrat Mahal decided to battle against the British to recover the lost territory. She urged all the people of Awadh including the rural folk to take part in the war. She was successful in recapturing Awadh with the complete support of her people and soldiers. Her 14 year old son, Brijis Quder was crowned the Prince of Awadh and Hazrat Mahal herself assumed duty as his guardian and advisor.

Begum Hazrat Mahal was greatly concerned at the East India Company’s various plots which hurt the sentiments of Indians. Demolishment of mosques and temples to construct roads was one among the many such distresses. She wrote the following to the British in a decree to allow freedom of worship - “To eat pigs and drink wine, to bite greased cartridges and to mix pig’s fat with sweetmeats, to destroy Hindu and Mussalman temples on pretence of making roads, to build churches, to send clergymen into the streets to preach the Christian religion, to institute English schools, and pay people a monthly stipend for learning the English sciences, while the places of worship of Hindus and Mussalmans are to this day entirely neglected; with all this, how can people believe that religion will not be interfered with?”

  

Later, when India’s first war of Independence broke out, Begum Hazrat Mahal joined the ‘Mutiny’ leading her soldiers against the East India Company. She emerged as a conspicuous leader along with other heroes of 1857 such as Nana Sahib, Tatya Tope, Firuz Shah, Rani Lakshmibai, Bakht Khan, Beni Madho, etc. She also played a key role in the attack on Shahjahanpur in association with Maulavi of Faizabad. The British attacked Awadh again to seize her kingdom; despite her courageous efforts to save Awadh, the British managed to snatch Lucknow and most Awadh on 16 March 1858. When her army lost ground, she fled Awadh and prepared soldiers in other places. In the battle of Musabagh, Hazrat Mahal led 9000 troops against the British when her palace at Kaiserbagh was attacked. She was never able to restore authority in her kingdom although she kept an army all through the year. She lost most of her aficionados by the end of 1859 and was forced to migrate to Nepal. She left the Fort of Baundi in December 1858 with a resolve not to fall into the hands of the British and crossed over to Nepal where she was given refuge by the King of Nepal, Jung Bahadur. She spent her entire wealth in supporting the one hundred thousand refugees of 1857 who fled with her to Nepal. The British offered a pension of Rs. 15 lakhs to Hazrat Mahal and Birjis Quder if they returned home but the proud queen snubbed the offer with contempt. She replied to the British that she would not return home as a subject and slave in chains of gold and silver and not settle for anything short of complete freedom of the country. She died in voluntary exile in 1874 and was buried in a commonplace grave in Kathmandu.

A girl from poor background rose to the height of a Warrior Queen and still higher up to a place in the history by her valour, bravery, partisanship and selfless devotion to her motherland. She kept the flame of freedom burning till her last breath and continues to be an inspiring icon of national pride.

Jai Hind.

‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kissan’

Lal Bahadur Shastri

(1904 – 1966)

In this vast country of ours, people profess different religions, dress differently and observe different customs; but we are one nation; the history of our struggle for independence and ort faith in our future development are our common bonds. – Lal Bahadur Shastri

Lal Bahadur Shastri was a great nationalist warrior and Indian political leader who became the second Prime Minister of India. He was greatly influenced by the principles of Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru and played a key role in the freedom struggle of the country. He was sent to prison seven times and spent nine long years in various prisons during the course of his Indian independence battle. A devout Gandhian. A man of small stature but with a strong mental fibre. He was an example of simplicity, altruism and impartiality. Having traits of a messenger of peace and utmost patriotism, he had a great vision for India as a developed country.

Lal Bahadur was born in Mughalsarai, Uttar Pradesh, a hundred years ago on 2 October 1904 to Sharada Prasad and Ramdulari Devi. His father was a clerk in the Revenue Office at Allahabad and led a life of straightforwardness and integrity. Lal Bahadur lost his father when he was one years old after which he, along with his sisters, were raised by his mother at his maternal house. At the age of 10, he moved to Varanasi for his high school education. At the age of 17, he left school influenced by Mahatma Gandhi’s plea to the youth of the country to boycott Government schools and colleges, courts, and offices as part of the Non-cooperation movement in 1921. He was arrested during the non-violence movement but later released considering his young age. He joined Kashi Vidya Peeth, Varanasi to study philosophy and earned the degree ‘Shastri’ in 1926. He joined ‘The Servants of the People Society’ founded by Lala Rajat Rai to prepare the youth to devote their lives in the service of the country. Lal Bahadur Shastri married Lalitha Devi 1927 which was a simple ceremony where he accepted only a ‘charkha’ and a few yards of ‘khadi’ as dowry. He belonged to the ‘Kayastha’ caste; he dropped his surname ‘Srivastava’ from his name which he believed would show his caste.

In 1930, Lal Bahadur Shastri joined Gandhiji’s Civil Disobedience Movement and directed people not to pay land revenue and taxes to the government. He was arrested and imprisoned for two and half years for his involvement in the movement. In 1940, the Congress launched ‘Individual Satyagraha’ during which Lal Bahadur Shastri was arrested again and imprisoned for another one year. Upon release, he actively participated in the ‘Quit India Movement’ by Gandhiji on 8 August 1942 demanding the British to quit India and was arrested. He was released in 1945 along with other freedom fighters. Lal Bahadur Shastri’s administrative talent and organisation skills made him exceptional during the provincial elections in 1946 and was appointed as the Parliamentary Secretary to Pandit Govind Vallabh, the then Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. He was later appointed as the Minister of Police and Transport in Pant’s cabinet in 1947. Lal Bahadur Shastri became the General Secretary of the Congress Party during the first general elections after India became a Republic. He was appointed as the Minister of Railways and Transport at the Central Cabinet by Jawaharlal Nehru in 1952. He resigned from the post in 1956 taking moral responsibility for a railway accident that happened in 1956. He became the Minister of Transport and Communications and later the Minster of Commerce and Industry in the next general elections. In 1961, Lal Bahadur Shastri became the Home Minister and played a key role in maintain the internal security of the country during the Indo-China war of 1962.

Lal Bahadur Shastri addressing the gathering on Dr. K. S. Krishnan’s 60^th birthday, 1958

Lal Bahadur Shastri was unanimously elected as the Prime Minister of India following the death of Jawaharlal Nehru in 1964. India was going through a difficult period then with huge challenges such as food shortages and security issues with Pakistan. Pakistan attacked India in 1965; Lal Bahadur Shastri rose to the occasion and handled the crisis competently. He led India to victory in the Indo-Pak war and Shastriji’s leadership was applauded internationally. 10 January 1966 was an instrumental day in the life of Lal Bahadur Shastri. It was on this day that he signed a treaty between India and Pakistan where India agreed to return to Pakistan all the territories occupied by it during the war and it was on the same night that he succumbed to cardiac arrest leaving a glorious life of supreme patriotism.

Shastriji set forth a number of measures in view of making India a better nation and tackled many challenges such as food shortage, unemployment, poverty, etc. during his tenure in various ministries. He was the first Transport Minister who employed women conductors and the Minister of Police who ordered the police to use jets of water replacing ‘lathis’ to disperse masses. He worked relentlessly towards prevention of corruption during his tenure as a Union Minister in 1961. His Prime Ministership showcased effective policies in improving the economy of India. Lal Bahadur Shastri played a fundamental role in resolving the Madras anti-Hindi agitation in 1965 regarding the language policy of India. He promoted White Revolution, the most famous national campaign of increasing milk production by setting up the National Dairy Development Board and supporting many dairy companies. His efforts and support to overcome the food shortage all over India during the 22 day long Indo-Pak war of 1965 was extraordinary. He requested the people of the country to give up one meal of the day on their own will to save food for the people living in the affected area. He promoted Green Revolution and coined the national slogan ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kissan’ (Hail the Soldier, Hail the farmer) to motivate the soldiers and farmers of the country. He had also paid keen attention in bringing effective foreign policies such as maintaining a close relationship with the Soviet Union, increasing the defence budget of armed forces after the military ties of Pakistan and Chinese People’s Republic, the Srimavo – Shastri Pact with the Prime Minister of Sri Lanks considering the status of Indian Tamils in the then Ceylon, etc.

His life achievements as a true statesman were awarded India’s highest civilian award, ‘Bharat Ratna’ posthumously. His life of purity and honesty is a great source of motivation to all Indians. Unquestionably, Lal Bahadur Shastri belongs to the race of heroes of the country and will always remain as a glittering star in the history of India.

That loyalty to the country comes ahead of all other loyalties. And this is an absolute loyalty, since one cannot weight it in terms of what one receives. - Lal Bahadur Shastri

Jai Hind.