After Jhansi ki Rani, another queen fought the British

Time of India

a day ago

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Start of Rani Gaidinliu's journey
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Rise of Gaidinliu and her capture
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'Rani' and the Road to Freedom
After Independence: A lonely struggle
While everyone knows about Jhansi ki Rani Laxmibai, who fought with British forces in the battlefield, sword in hand and fire in her eyes, very few know about another Indian queen who too fought the British. Far from the spotlight, a 'rani' from the misty hills of the North East rallied her people, challenged the Crown's might, and ignited a rebellion.For centuries, powerful dynasties in India's Northeast stood as unyielding guardians, keeping at bay wave after wave of invaders -- from the Delhi Sultanate to the mighty Mughals, and even the early British. But that long-standing shield finally cracked when Burma stormed in, seizing control of Assam and Manipur. What followed was a brutal clash of empires -- a high-stakes power struggle between the Burmese and the British. The British, relentless in their imperial ambitions, ultimately crushed Burma after a series of bloody confrontations known as the Anglo-Burmese Wars, changing the fate of the region forever.The annexation of the Ahom kingdom by the East India Company in the early decades of the nineteenth century has loomed large as an important moment in the establishment of the British Raj in Assam. The Treaty of Yandabo (1826) gave the British East India Company an opportunity to establish its commercial and political interests in the frontier region of India. Amid the waves of the Civil Disobedience Movement and rising resistance across India, a fiery seventeen-year-old from the Northeast was quietly shaking the foundations of the British Raj. Leading a defiant tribal uprising, Rani Gaidinliu , a Naga, played a key role in the Indian freedom struggle.Rani Gaidinliu's journey began when her cousin and spiritual mentor, Jadonang, claimed to have seen a divine vision from a revered god of the hills. The message was powerful: revive the ancient faith of their ancestors and resist the colonisers.Jadonang soon found himself surrounded by tribal communities desperate for hope amid fears of crop failure. His growing spiritual authority and anti-colonial message quickly caught the attention of British authorities by 1927 who arranged for a meeting with him, which also led to brief arrest of the Naga leader. As his influence grew strong, inspired by Mahatma Gandhi's Civil Disobedience Movement, he urged his followers to withhold British taxes and instead pay him, positioning himself as a liberator of the Nagas. But in February 1931, with whispers of rebellion in the air, the British arrested him on flimsy grounds. Failing to produce solid evidence, they falsely accused him of murdering Manipuri traders and hanged him publicly at the banks of the Nambul River in Imphal.With his death, Nagas hoped that another messiah would rise to lead them. The prophecy came true sooner than expected -- this time in the form of a seventeen-year-old girl, Gaidinliu.Interestingly, the British had met her during Jadonang's arrest and dismissed her as a 'sullen little unmarried girl of seventeen,' clearly underestimating her potential. However, this mere dismissal soon turned to be a grave mistake for the colonisers in the North East. With the followers of Jadonang regarding her as a goddess figure, Gaidinliu's revived spiritual movement had spread like wildfire across the Naga Hills, Manipur and the North Cachar Hills. Mirroring Gandhi's defiance, she urged her people to stop paying house taxes and reject British authority. However, with her growing influence, the British were on alert, launching an all-out operation under the Deputy Commissioner of the Naga Hills. Just like Jadonang's arrest, they resurrected an old case -- accusing Gaidinliu of murder, human sacrifice and cult worship.Evading arrest, Gaidinliu moved like a shadow across villages with her militia. Her bottled healing potion, famously called "Gaidinliu water," became a symbol of hope and faith.On February 16, 1932, a brutal clash erupted in Hangrum village. Assam Rifles stormed the area, killing villagers, burning homes, destroying granaries, and torching fields. A month later, another fierce encounter near Hangrum left heavy casualties. But once again, Gaidinliu slipped away. Frustrated by repeated failures to capture the teenage rebel, the British unleashed brutal retaliation, torching entire villages, destroying crops and torturing innocent villagers for information. Even Gaidinliu's native village, Lungkao, was not spared from this wrath.By mid-1932, 29 guns were confiscated and Rs 2,920 collected in fines. British patrols tightened their grip, cutting off village communication and movement. Her name became a threat. The colonisers went so far as to harass girls who shared Gaidinliu's name, pushing many to abandon it out of fear. Even Gaidinliu herself adopted the alias 'Dilenliu' to stay hidden from British forces.Still, the flame of resistance flickered on. Her story echoed through whispered prayers, rebel songs and the dreams of a free Naga homeland.For nearly five months, Gaidinliu and her band of rebels roamed the jungles of the trans-Barak basin, moving camp constantly. Disguised, she even visited her own village. Eventually, she chose Pulomi village as her base. Nestled between Zemi, Rongmei and Liangmei Naga tribes, her strongest support, Pulomi offered hope. But the village was also home to Christianised Nagas who had turned away from tribal prophecies and aligned with British colonialism. Converted by American Baptist missionaries and educated in mission schools, many now served the British.Among these loyalists was Dr. Haralu, a well-educated physician from the Liangmai tribe and native of Pulomi. An ardent supporter of British rule and an ideological critique of Gaidinliu's movement, he volunteered to help track her down. Ironically, his own younger brother, Jinyi, was one of Gaidinliu's closest allies.In a desperate bid to tame the fiery rebel, the British turned to a subtler tactic -- marriage. They persuaded Haralu, a well-regarded bachelor, to propose to Gaidinliu, dangling the promise of freedom if she gave up rebellion for domesticity. But Gaidinliu saw through the ruse and she vanished into the forest once more. However, Haralu continued writing to her, promising a personal meeting, but she never let herself be caught between love and liberty.When she stayed at Pulomi longer than usual, awaiting his arrival, it proved to be a fatal error. Haralu came, not with love, but with armed forces. Though Gaidinliu had begun fortifying Pulomi, the defenses were incomplete. A British spy and village elder, Ishejungbe, had earned her trust, only to betray her. He leaked plans for a final attack to Haralu, who coordinated with the British.To avoid detection, the army misled villagers about their destination. On October 16, 1932, a hundred riflemen marched for Pulomi, while another force of Nagas, Kukis and Gorkhas prepared for backup. They regrouped at Dzulki and surrounded Pulomi before dawn. After capturing a few guards, they learned she was hiding in Hailung's house.Gaidinliu was arrested and brought to trial, not for rebellion, but on similar charges that targeted her sibling, murdering four Meitei traders at Kambiron. She was sentenced to life imprisonment. Initially locked in Imphal jail, she was later transferred to Shillong and Lushai Hills. The British kept moving her from place to place, fearful of the legend that she would return in another form to continue her mission.Even in prison, her myth lived on. Rumours of her reincarnation sparked minor uprisings led by those claiming to be her avatars and continued until the outbreak of World War II.In 1937, five years into her imprisonment, a turning point arrived. Jawaharlal Nehru, then President of the Indian National Congress, visited Assam for an entirely different reason. But wherever he went, he kept hearing one name, Gaidinliu. Intrigued, he visited her in Shillong Jail.Nehru was so moved by her courage and unwavering belief in her cause that he pledged to fight for her release. In a powerful article for the Hindustan Times in December 1937, he christened her 'Rani'. The name stuck — and so did her legacy.It would take another decade and countless appeals, but when India finally gained independence in 1947, one of the first acts of Prime Minister Nehru was to sanction Rani Gaidinliu's release.But freedom came with fresh battles. Two political forces had emerged in the region — the extremist Naga National Council (NNC), which wanted a separate country, and the moderate Naga Peoples' Convention (NPC), which called for a Union Territory.Neither supported her dream.Rani Gaidinliu envisioned a separate administrative unit for the Zeliangrong people within India. But her dream clashed with geography, it would mean redrawing boundaries across Nagaland, Manipur and Assam. Her vision conflicted with the agendas of both NNC, NPC as well as the Indian government.Despite these tensions, Gaidinliu remained a respected figure. She was honoured with the Tamrapatra (1972), Padma Bhushan (1982), Vivekananda Sewa Summan (1983), and the Bhagwan Birsa Munda Puraskar posthumously in 1996.In her memory, India issued a commemorative stamp in 1996. On her birth centenary in 2015, commemorative coins were released, and in 2016, the Indian Coast Guard commissioned the 'ICGS Rani Gaidinliu'. A museum named the Rani Gaidinliu Tribal Freedom Fighters Museum has also been sanctioned at her birthplace in Manipur.