Why was the revolt of 1857 called the first war of Independence? Grace Zothanpari , R\No:1301 BA 14

As the British had been conquering India bit by bit for over a century, popular discontent and hatred against foreign rule had been gaining strength among the different section of Indian society. It was this discontent that burst forth into a mighty popular revolt of 1857. This revolt has been called as the first war of Independence by Indian historian.

            The Revolt of 1857 was much more than a mere product of sepoy discontent. It was in reality a product of the character and policy of British colonial rule. The doctrine of Lapse introduced by Dalhousie led to the outright annexation of eight states. Nana Saheb lost his pension. Rani of Jhansi was not permitted to adopt a son. The annexation of Awadh and deposition of its ruler Wazid Ali  Shah, made Awadh the most prominent centre of the revolt. Bahadur Shah II, the Mughal Emperor and his successors were humiliated by the British. They were prohibited from using their ancestral palace, the Red Fort. Canning announced in1856 that the successors of Bahadur Shah were to be known only as princes and not as kings. So the native rulers turned against the British.                                                                                

            The peasants joined the rebellion because they too were hard hit by the inordinately high revenue demands of the state. The Indian weavers and handicraftsmen were forced to work according to the desire of the servants of the company but they in return receive very little wages. The landlord were devoid of their special privileges. This against the  British  by the craftsmen and landlord.

An important factor in turning Indians against British rule was that it endangered their religion due to the activities of the Christian missionaries who tries to convert people as the British government gave protection and encouragement to them. As the British introduce Abolition of sati (1829), legislation of widow’s remarriage (1856), imposition of taxes on the land belonging to temples and mosque all of them alienated these sections from British.

Immediate cause: By 1857, the material for a mass upheaval was ready, only a spark was needed to set it a fire. The episode of the greased cartridges provided this spark for the sepoy and their mutiny provided the general populace the occasion to revolt. The new Enfield rifle had been introduce in the army .Its cartridges had a grease paper over whose end had to bitten off  before the cartridges were loaded into the rifle. The grease was in some instances composed of beef and a pig. The sepoys,   Hindu as well as Muslim were enraged. On 29 March 1857 at Barrackpore, near Kolkata, Mangal Pandey, a young Indian Sepoy from Bengal Regiment,refused to use the greased cartridge, and shot down his sergeant. He was arrested and executed. When this news spread many sepoys started the revolt .

Although, the war ended in a defeat of the Indians by the English, it was definitely a civilian rebellion as its participants belonged to different sections of the community ranging from nobility and tribal groups. It is called the First war of Independence because this war started the movement in India to gain independence. Although it was not successful but the Indians came to know that they have to unify themselves and sacrifice many lives in order to defeat the British. It is so called because after this war many movements and revolutions were started against the British. This revolt thus accelerated the Independence process      

Q. Engvangin nge 1857 kha zalenna sualna atana  indona hmasa ber an tih chhan?

            British ho khan India ram chhung chu zwi te te in kum zabi chhung an lo awp beh tawh na ah khan, India ram mipui te chu an lungni lo in huatna nasa tak an nei a, chumi in a rwn hrin chhuah chu kum 1857 a British laka helna mi chi hrang hrang telna kha ani a. He helna hi India historian te chuan zalenna sualna atan a indona hmasa ber an vuah ani.

Kum 1857 a helna hi sipai ho lungnih lohna atanga lo chhuak ni in an sawi a, mahse anih na dik takah chuan British hoin an awp bet na rama an rorel dan in a nghawng chhuah ani a. Dalhousie an Doctrine opf Lapse a rawn tih chhuah chuan state pariat te chuawlsam takin a awp bet vat a. Nana Saheb chuan a lalna a chana.Jhansi ami Rani pawh fapa lak an phal sak lo a. Awadh an awpbetna leh an lalpa Wazid Ali Shah an paih thlakna chuan Awadh chu helna chhuahna hmun langsar tak anih phah a. Mughal lal Bahadur ShahII leh a thlah te chu British ho chuan an timualpho a, an thlahtute chenna atagin an hnawtchhuak a.Canning chuan Bahadur a aiawhtute chu lal ni lo in lal fapate tih tur a ti a. Heng te hian ram chhung lal te chu a tithinur a ni.

            Lo neitu te chu chhiah uchuak an chawi turin an bituk sak a. Kutthemthiam te chu an duhdan chiahin hna an thawh tir a hlawh tlem te chauh an pe a.Heng te avang hian hel chu an chak a.

            British ho lakah hel tirtu thil pawimawh tak pakhat chu sakhuana ani a. India mite te chuan sakhaw danga inleh luih tir an hlauh vang ani a, a chhan chu British ho chuan an lo chin than tawh Sati an tih tawp sak a,hmeithai in pasal a neih leh theihna tur dan an siam bawk a, an biakin hmun a chhiah an lak te chuan heng mite hi a hel tir a.

           

Helna a chhuahna bulpui ber chu:1857 ah khan hel thei turin hmanrua zawng zawng a awm tawh a mahse a ti alh chhuaktu a ngai a. Sipai te zing ah chuan silai thar hman tir ani a, chu silai kap puak tur chuan zen lehkha  mawm chu she chuah a ngai hmasa a. Chu thil mawm chu vawk leh bawng thau atanga siam an ti a,hei hian Hindu leh Muslim sipai te chu a ti thinur hle ani. 29 March 1857 ah chuan Kolkatta hnaih taka awm Barrackpore ah chuan Mangal Pandey an tih Bengal regiment ami chuan silai thar chu a hmang duh lo a, an hotupa a kaphlum bawk a. Amah chu an man a an that a, he thu  a darh atang hian sipai te chu an hel ta a ni.

           

He indona hi sap ten India mite a beihletna ah a tawp a. He helna avang a indona ah chak lo mahse mipui helna an tihna chhan chu  ram chhung hmun hrang hrang leh nihna hrang hrang neite an tel vang ani a. India zalenna sualna atana indo na hmasa ber an tih chhan chu hemi hnu atang hian movement leh revolution  chu British te lakah tan ani a.Bakah he helna hian India chu British awpbetna hnuai atanga zalenna hmu thei tura an sualna kawng ah nasa takin chakna a pe a ni.