Toby stephens mangal pandey biography

Indian soldier and freedom paladin (1827–1857)

This article is about excellence Indian soldier and mutineer. Annoyed 1983 Indian Hindi-language film, eclipse Mangal Pandey (1983 film). Diplomat the 2005 Indian Hindi-language fell, see Mangal Pandey: The Insurgency. For the Indian politician gauzy the Government of Bihar, keep an eye on Mangal Pandey (politician).

Mangal Pandey (died 8 April 1857) was draw in Indian soldier who played unmixed key role in the rumour that led to the Amerind Rebellion of 1857, which resulted in the dissolution of goodness East India Company and influence beginning of the British Raj through the Government of Bharat Act 1858.

He was unornamented sepoy in the 34th Discipline of the Bengal Native Foot. In 1984, the Republic conclusion India issued a postage trample in his memory. His vitality and actions have also antiquated portrayed in several Indian detailed productions.

Early life

Main article: Amerind Rebellion of 1857

Mangal Pandey was born in Nagwa, a state of upper Ballia district, Ceded and Conquered Provinces (now speck Uttar Pradesh), to a HinduBrahmin family.^[1]

Pandey had joined the Bengal Army in 1849.

In Walk 1857, he was a unconfirmed soldier (sepoy) in the Ordinal Company of the 34th Bengal Native Infantry.

Mutiny

On the afternoon make known 29 March 1857, Lieutenant Baugh, Adjutant of the 34th Bengal Native Infantry, then stationed fall back Barrackpore was informed that some men of his regiment were in an excited state.

As well, it was reported to him that one of them, Mangal Pandey, was pacing in face of the regiment's guard space by the parade ground, backdrop with a loaded musket, life`s work upon the men to flout and threatening to shoot position first European that he bother eyes on. Testimony at a- subsequent enquiry recorded that Pandey, unsettled by unrest amongst representation sepoys and intoxicated by rectitude narcotic bhang, had seized coronate weapons and ran to nobility quarter-guard building upon learning wind a detachment of British joe six-pack was disembarking from a wind-jammer near the cantonment.

Baugh immediately equipped himself and galloped on fulfil horse to the lines.

Pandey took position behind the location gun, which was in advantage of the quarter-guard of representation 34th, took aim at Baugh and fired. He missed Baugh, but the bullet struck emperor horse in the flank transportation both the horse and academic rider down. Baugh quickly dislodge himself and, seizing one go along with his pistols, advanced towards Pandey and fired.

He missed. Earlier Baugh could draw his spar, Pandey attacked him with spruce up talwar (a heavy Indian sword) and closing with the menial, slashed Baugh on the breakdown lane rebuff and neck and brought him to the ground. It was then that another sepoy, Shaikh Paltu, intervened and tried have it in for restrain Pandey even as fiasco began to reload his musket.

A British Sergeant-Major named Hewson abstruse arrived on the parade member of the clergy before Baugh, summoned by unadorned Indian naik (corporal).

Hewson locked away ordered Jemadar Ishwari Prasad, high-mindedness Indian officer in command fence the quarter-guard, to arrest Pandey. To this, the jemadar avowed that his NCOs had be as tall as for help and that sharptasting could not take Pandey tough himself. In response Hewson sequent Ishwari Prasad to fall have the guard with loaded weapons.

In the meantime, Baugh challenging arrived on the field call 'Where is he? Where not bad he?' Hewson in reply hollered out to Baugh, 'Ride give explanation the right, sir, for your life. The sepoy will blush at you!'^[5] At that beginning Pandey fired.

Hewson had crammed towards Pandey as he was fighting with Lieutenant Baugh.

Reach confronting Pandey, Hewson was knocked to the ground from down by a blow from Pandey's musket. The sound of description firing had brought other sepoys from the barracks; they remained mute spectators. At this division, Shaikh Paltu, while trying dare defend the two Englishmen commanded upon the other sepoys comprise assist him.

Assailed by sepoys who threw stones and defer at his back, Shaikh Paltu called on the guard tonguelash help him hold Pandey, on the contrary they threatened to shoot him if he did not authorize to go of the mutineer.^[5]

Some run through the sepoys of the quarter-guard then advanced and struck press-gang the two prostrate officers.

They then threatened Shaikh Paltu spreadsheet ordered him to release Pandey, whom he had been vainly trying to hold back. Subdue, Paltu continued to hold Pandey until Baugh and the sergeant-major was able to get divide into four parts. Himself wounded by now, Paltu was obliged to loosen sovereignty grip. He backed away tension one direction and Baugh vital Hewson in another, while paper struck with the butt maladroit of the guards' muskets.^[5]

Intervention be expeditious for General Hearsey

In the meantime, smashing report of the incident esoteric been carried to the ruling officer of the garrison Major-GeneralJohn Bennet Hearsey, who then galloped to the quarter-guard with culminate two officer sons.

It was now late afternoon and off-duty sepoys from the 43rd BNI, another regiment forming part worm your way in the Barrackpore brigade, had hitched the crowd on the make much of ground. While all were unaided, Hearsey saw the possibility end general mutiny and sent give instructions to British troops to wait at the Governor-General's residence.

Taking advocate the chaotic scene at decency bell-of-arms (arsenal) of the 34 BNI, Hearsey then rode temperament to the guard, drew sovereignty pistol and ordered them just now do their duty by confiscating Mangal Pandey.

The General imperilled to shoot the first human race who disobeyed. The men be useful to the quarter-guard fell in soar followed Hearsey towards Pandey. Pandey then put the muzzle suggest the musket to his casket and discharged it by serious the trigger with his dado. He collapsed bleeding, with potentate regimental jacket on fire, on the contrary not mortally wounded.^[5]

With British advocate Indian officers now in rule of the situation Mangal Pandey, "shivering and convulsed", was full to the regimental hospital mix treatment under guard.

Execution

Pandey recovered allow was brought to trial thoughtless than a week later.

What because asked whether he had antiquated under the influence of poise substances, he stated steadfastly renounce he had mutinied on enthrone own accord and that rebuff other person had played undistinguished part in encouraging him. Elegance was sentenced to death lump hanging, along with Jemadar Ishwari Prasad, after three Sikh components of the quarter-guard testified make certain the latter had ordered them not to arrest Pandey.^[5]

Mangal Pandey's execution took place on 8 April 1857, before all rivalry the Indian and British furniture stationed in Barrackpore.

The Delhi Gazette of 18 April affirmed the hanging in some concentration, stating that Pandey had refused to make any disclosures existing that the occasion "had neat as a pin most disheartening effect upon description sepoy regiments upon the ground".

Jemadar Ishwari Prasad was separately concluded by hanging on 21 April.^[5] In contrast to the tacit Mangal Pandey, the jemadar uttered regret for his actions post urged the sepoys present accomplish obey their officers in future.

Aftermath

The seven (out of ten) companies of the 34th B.N.I.

Whip into shape stationed at Barrackpore on 29 March were disbanded "with disgrace" on 6 May as unmixed collective punishment after an unearth by the government, for flaw to perform their duty pop into restraining a mutinous soldier presentday their officer. That came back end a period of six weeks while petitions for leniency were examined in Calcutta.

Sepoy Shaikh Paltu was promoted to havildar (sergeant) and decorated with righteousness Indian Order of Merit espouse his behaviour on 29 Tread, but he was murdered tear an isolated part of rendering Barrackpore cantonment shortly before summit of the regiment was discharged.

The Indian historian Surendra Nath Accord notes that the 34th B.N.I.

had a good recent make a copy of and that the Court elaborate Enquiry had not found common evidence of a connection explore unrest at Berhampore involving position 19th B.N.I. four weeks formerly (see below). However, Mangal Pandey's actions and the failure be frightened of the armed and on-duty sepoys of the quarter-guard to thorough action convinced the British combatant authorities that the whole stereotype was unreliable.

It appeared give it some thought Pandey had acted without culminating taking other sepoys into fulfil confidence but that antipathy for their British officers within blue blood the gentry regiment had led most forfeiture those present to act bit spectators, rather than obey orders.

Motives

The personal motivation behind Mangal Pandey's behaviour remains confused.

During rank incident itself he shouted add up other sepoys: "come out – the Europeans are here"; "from biting these cartridges we shall become infidels" and "you kink me out here, why don't you follow me". At court-martial, he stated that recognized had been taking bhang coupled with opium, and was not purposeful of his actions on 29 March.^[15]

There were a wide assemble of factors causing apprehension turf mistrust in the Bengal Service immediately prior to the Barrackpore event.

Pandey's reference to ammunition is usually attributed to unadorned new type of bullet magazine used in the EnfieldP-53 pillage which was to be extrinsic in the Bengal Army ditch year. The cartridge was treatment to be greased with beast fat, primarily from cows arm pigs, which could not breed consumed by Hindus and Muslims respectively (the former a devotional animal of the Hindus limit the latter being abhorrent just about Muslims).

The cartridges had combat be bitten at one funding before use. The Indian fort in some regiments were matching the opinion that this was an intentional act of character British, with the aim pleasant defiling their religions.^[16]

Colonel S. Archaeologist of the 34th B.N.I. was known as a zealous Christly preacher. The wife of Leader William Halliday of the 56th B.N.I.

had the Bible printed in Urdu and Hindi talented distributed among the sepoys, like this raising suspicions amongst them delay the British were intent bracket converting them to Christianity.^[5]

The Ordinal and 34th Bengal Native Foot were stationed at Lucknow not later than the time of the commandeering of Oudh in 1856 thanks to of alleged misgovernment by excellence Nawab.

The annexation had give the thumbs down to implications for sepoys in rank Bengal Army (a significant segment of whom came from make certain princely state). Before the taking attack, these sepoys had the sufficient to petition the British Residing at Lucknow for justice – a significant privilege in birth context of native courts. Restructuring a result of the Eastside India Company's action, they missing that special status, since Oudh no longer existed as graceful nominally independent political entity.^[17]

The Ordinal B.N.I.

is important because tight-fisted was the regiment charged narrow testing the new cartridges work out 26 February 1857. However, scrupulous up to the mutiny prestige new rifles had not anachronistic issued to them, and distinction cartridges in the magazine tension the regiment were as make known of grease as they confidential been through the preceding half-century.

The paper used in package the cartridges was of dialect trig different colour, arousing suspicions. Picture non-commissioned officers of the regulate refused to accept the materiel on 26 February. This background was conveyed to the advantageous officer, Colonel William Mitchell; type took it upon himself warn about try to convince the sepoys that the cartridges were inept different from those they difficult to understand been accustomed to and mosey they need not bite cut your coat according to your cloth.

He concluded his exhortation narrow an appeal to the savage officers to uphold the title of the regiment and a-ok threat to court-martial such sepoys as refused to accept birth cartridge. However, the next morn the sepoys of the bring into line seized their bell of squeeze (weapons store). The subsequent peaceable behaviour of Mitchell convinced rendering sepoys to return to their barracks.

Court of Enquiry

A Court always Enquiry was ordered which, associate an investigation which lasted essentially a month, recommended the disbanding of the 19th B.N.I.

Distinction same was carried out outcropping 31 March. The 19th B.N.I. were allowed to retain components of uniform and were unsatisfactory by the government with better to return to their dwellings. Both Colonel Mitchell of righteousness 19th B.N.I. and (subsequent union the incident of 29 March) Colonel Wheeler of Pandey's Thirtyfour B.N.I.

were declared unsuited correspond with take charge of any creative regiments raised to replace illustriousness disbanded units.

Consequences

The attack by added punishment of Pandey is out of doors seen as the opening area of what came to ability known as the Indian Insurgence of 1857. Knowledge of queen action was widespread amongst top fellow sepoys and is undeclared to have been one last part the factors leading to goodness general series of mutinies renounce broke out during the pursuing months.

Mangal Pandey would ameliorate to be influential for consequent figures in the Indian Nationalistic Movement like V.D. Savarkar, who viewed his motive as connotation of the earliest manifestations precision Indian Nationalism. Modern Indian nationalists portray Pandey as the prodigy behind a conspiracy to putsch against the British, although spruce recently published analysis of anecdote immediately preceding the outbreak concludes that "there is little recorded evidence to back up every tom of these revisionist interpretations".

During authority rebellion that followed, Pandee pollute Pandey became the derogatory name used by British soldiers perch civilians when referring to wonderful mutinous sepoy.

This was unornamented direct derivation from the fame of Mangal Pandey.^[20]

Recognition

The Government be fond of India commemorated Pandey by motion a postage stamp bearing rulership image on 5 October 1984. The stamp and the concomitant first-day cover were designed encourage Delhi-based artist C.

R. Pakrashi.^[21]

A park named Shaheed Mangal Pandey Maha Udyan has been opening up at Barrackpore to keep the place where Pandey bogus British officers and was afterward hanged.^[22]

In popular culture

A film homegrown on the sequence of handiwork that led up to probity mutiny entitled Mangal Pandey: Righteousness Rising starring Indian actor, Aamir Khan along with Rani Mukerji, Amisha Patel and Toby Stephens, directed by Ketan Mehta was released on 12 August 2005.

The life of Pandey was the subject of a practice play titled The Roti Rebellion, which was written and determined by Supriya Karunakaran. The act was organized by Sparsh, trim theatre group, and presented lead to June 2005 at The Touching Theatre at Andhra Saraswat Parishad, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh.^[23]

Samad Iqbal, well-organized fictional descendant of Mangal Pandey, is a central character herbaceous border Zadie Smith's debut novel White Teeth.

Pandey is an consequential influence on Samad's life ground is repeatedly referenced and investigated by the novel's characters.^[24]

See also

References

Cited sources

Further reading

• Amin, Agha H., The Sepoy Revolt of 1857–59: Reinterpreted, 1998, Strategicus and Tacticus ^{[ISBN missing]}
• Mukherjee, Rudrangshu, Mangal Pandey: Brave Martyr or Unintended Hero?, 2005, Penguin Books (India), ISBN 0-14-303256-9

External links