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(This article is being republished from The Quint’s archives to mark Rani Lakshmi Bai’s 160th death anniversary. It was originally published on 13 February 2018.)
Rani Lakshmibai – the very name conjures up the image of a valiant queen, galloping on a horse in the midst of a battlefield, fighting ferociously with her infant son strapped to her back. History textbooks are inundated with gleaming mentions of Jhansi ki Rani, who is celebrated till date as the foremost example of female heroism in the country.
Time and again, Jhansi’s queen has reincarnated in popular culture – from poems, songs, films, serials, ballads, books – as a tribute to her valour and courage, with Radha Krishna Jagarlamudi’s Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi, starring Kangana Ranaut in the titular role, next in line. But even before this film could liven up the celluloid, it finds itself in the line of fire of a caste-based outfit – joining the league of the recently released Padmaavat.
In the light of the current controversy, The Quint attempts to revisit history to lift the lid on Rani Lakshmibai, her life and her relentless defiance of the British forces.
Rani Lakshmibai was born as Manikarnika Tambe in Varanasi in 1828 to Maharashtrian Brahmins parents. She lost her mother at the tender age of four and was raised by her father who worked in the court of the Peshwa in Bithoor. It is said that the Peshwa grew fond of her and took a keen interest in her upbringing.
Manikarnika’s childhood was way ahead of her times. She grew up with Nana Sahib and Tatya Tope, was educated at home and was also imparted training in horsemanship, fencing, shooting – something women could only dream of at that time.
Lakshmibai’s marriage was short-lived as the Maharaja passed away in 1853. This event, tragic as it was, brought the dawn of a new chapter in the Rani’s life.
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Even before its release, the film Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi, has managed to ruffle a few feathers and has come under attack from a Brahmin outfit in Rajasthan known as the Sarv Brahmin Mahasabha. The outfit is irked over the “historical tampering” and the celebrated Brahmin queen’s apparent “indecent portrayal”.
Suresh Mishra, President, Sarva Brahman Mahasabha, wrote a letter to the makers, saying the film's shooting will "not be allowed in Rajasthan till the complete information on the historical ground of the story is made available".
Rumours are rife that the makers have carved Lakshmibai’s character along the lines of Jaishree Misra’s novel Rani.
Misra, however, denies being approached by the makers,
Even Kangana Ranaut has denied any love story in the movie, saying, “This movie is sure to instil a feeling of pride among the people.”
Talking about the new trend of protests preceding the release of so called historical dramas, Dr Sandhya Sharma, Assistant Professor of History at Vivekananda College, University of Delhi says:
Misra agrees, “As far as protests go, they are almost always politically motivated and never about genuine feelings of offence or grievance.”
The release date of Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi has not yet been announced.
The British took advantage of Maharaja’s death in 1853, and the then Governor General, Lord Dalhousie applied the Doctrine of Lapse, rejecting Damodar Rao’s claim to the throne. This, despite Gangadhar Rao and Lakshmibai solemnising the adoption of Damodar Rao in the presence of a British political officer.
An adopted heir could only inherit the private property of the ruler. Neither was he entitled to the estate nor to a pension after the ruler’s death. Many states lost their sovereignty due to this doctrine and became British territories. Kittur, Satara, Jaipur, Sambhalpur, Udaipur, Nagpur were also annexed through Doctrine of Lapse in addition to Jhansi.
Irked by the unfairness of the British, Lakshmibai even pleaded her case in a court in London which regardless to say, turned her down.
The British annexed Jhansi, seized the state jewels, granted Lakshmibai a meagre annual pension and asked her to leave the fort forever. Left without an alternative, the Rani moved to what is now known as the Rani Mahal.
The period between the annexation of Jhansi and the breakout of the 1857 revolt piques curiosity. What was Rani Lakshmibai doing in the interim period?
London-based author Jaishree Misra who wrote Rani – one of the most comprehensive books on Lakshmibai – tells The Quint:
Misra further says that her research led her to believe that Rani Lakshmibai was in fact a pacifist and tried very hard to avoid war. But once embroiled in the battle, she gave it her all.
Often hailed as the first war of independence, the Sepoy mutiny of 1857 was the first organised and collective – political, military, socio-economic, religious – resistance against the oppressive British rule.
Historian RC Majumdar in his book, The Sepoy Mutiny and The Revolt of 1857, lists some of the many causes which led to the revolt of 1857:
Though a host of factors contributed to the mutiny, it was the greased cartridges introduced by the company that acted as the trigger to the mutiny. The new Enfield Rifle introduced by the Company required the sepoys to bite the cartridge by their teeth which was unacceptable to the soldiers as they were greased with animal fat (beef and pork). Enraged at the Britishers’s attempt to defile their religion, the soldiers joined hands in the collective mutiny.
They were joined by the rulers of the annexed states who were nursing the bitter pangs of expulsion from their own kingdoms – Rani Lakshmibai being one of them.
It is said that prior to the Sepoy Mutiny, Lakshmibai was rather reluctant to rebel against the British and that Jhansi was relatively peaceful in the initial phases of the revolt, unlike most of north India.
It was only in 1858 that she took up arms against the British when Sir Hugh Rose, commanding officer of the British forces, demanded the surrender of Jhansi.
Talking about the Jokhun Bagh massacre, Jaishree Misra says,
Rani wrote to the British authorities explaining the entire situation and also her helplessness and innocence in the massacre. British author Saul David seconds this explanation in his book The Indian Mutiny: 1857, when he says, “In true Maratha fashion, she would have been unwilling to enter the mutiny publicly unless success was guaranteed… for this reason, and for this reason alone she was probably not responsible for the massacre.” Historian RC Majumdar also holds similar views.
Rani Lakshmibai was given the charge of Jhansi for a brief period following the massacre and before the arrival of another British superintendent. The Rani ruled Jhansi in the interim period, but only on behalf of the British government.
RC Majumdar makes some crucial inferences with regards to the events that led to the famous battle for Jhansi:
When Sir Hugh Rose demanded a complete surrender to the British rule, Lakshmibai rebelled and organised forces to oust the British. She was joined in the battle led by Tatya Tope and Nana Sahib.
She gave the British a tough fight, fled to Kalpi and then Gwalior during the course of the battle and finally succumbed to the British forces in Gwalior in 1858.
Her body was cremated as per her wishes (some accounts note that Lakshmibai didn’t want her body to be captured by the British hence asked a hermit to cremate it). Three days after the death of Lakshmibai, the British captured the Fort of Gwalior.
Lakshmibai's tomb is situated in the Phool Bagh area of Gwalior.
Much like the causes of the mutiny itself, the motives of Rani Lakshmibai’s participation in the 1857 uprising has been a matter of debate among historians and scholars. While some feel that she participated in the uprising to save her territory, other more nationalistic readings have ascribed her participation to patriotism.
RC Majumdar in his book The Sepoy Mutiny and the Revolt of 1857 argues that the uprising of 1857 was not a war of independence. He maintains that the revolt took different aspects in different regions.
Historians across generations and continents are divided over the revolt of 1857. Some call it mutiny while some nationalists such as VD Savarkar believe that it was the first war of Independence.
The historiography of the rebellion is vast and there are multiple, sometimes contrarian, views on the part played by Rani Lakshmibai in the mutiny.
DB Parasnis’ Marathi biography of Lakshmibai, A Biography of Queen Lakshmibai of Jhansi, published in 1894, claimed that she had taken charge of Jhansi not as a rebel, but to rule in the company’s name – a stark contrast to the readings of British historians.
Novelist Vrindavanlal Verma, in his 1946 novel Jhansi ki Rani, paints her in a Hindu reformist viewpoint, as a brave compassionate ruler – an understanding that has painted much of the discourse since.
Jaishree Misra’s book Rani – which the author describes as half-fact, half-fiction – is perhaps one of the most controversial books on Lakshmibai’s life. The book was banned by the Mayawati-led Uttar Pradesh government at the time of its publication, calling a tale of romance between Lakshmibai and a British official, Robert Ellis, nothing short of blasphemy for the custodians of patriotism.
The author doesn’t camouflage Lakshmibai’s imperfections and vulnerabilities, attempting to project the celebrated queen as a flesh and blood character.
However, Misra vehemently denies the alleged love angle and says,
She agrees that her book is a historical fiction, adding that historical records can never give us information on people's motivations or private thoughts anyway.
“Bundeley Harbolon se hamney suni kahani thi,
Khoob ladi mardani woh to Jhansi wali Rani thi”
These lines from Subhadra Kumari Chauhan’s iconic poem ‘Jhansi ki Rani’ seem to have inspired countless popular culture adaptations of Rani Lakshmibai. The poem is also taught to school kids across India as a tribute to the valour of the queen.
Sohrab Modi’s Jhansi Ki Rani (1953) remains among the earliest films made on Lakshmibai’s life and her role in the Sepoy mutiny. The film was also dubbed in English and released as The Tiger and the Flame. In 2009, Zee TV premiered a historical drama titled Ek Veer Stree Ki Kahaani... Jhansi Ki Rani on the life of Lakshmibai. The show was on air for almost two years with Ulka Gupta and Kratika Sengar playing the titular role.
Indian film actress Kangana Ranaut will now be seen playing Rani Lakshmibai in an upcoming Bollywood film titled Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi, with Ankita Lokhande stepping in the shoes of Jhalkaribai.
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