Latest news with #RaniLakshmiBai
The Hindu
a day ago
- General
- The Hindu
From school playgrounds to community events, Hyderabad celebrates Independence Day with gusto
Hyderabad woke up to the sights and sounds of Independence Day woven into everyday life - children leaving for schools in colourful costumes, neighbours meeting for flag-hoisting in their colonies, shopkeepers adding a touch of the Tricolour to their displays, and patriotic songs and short films from school and community events carrying through the streets. In Ramanthapur, ten-year-old Sanvi walked out of her school clutching her father's hand, her small frame draped in a bright saree, the pallu firmly adjusted over her shoulder. She was dressed as Rani Lakshmi Bai, a role she had chosen long before the celebrations began. 'I grew up hearing stories of 'Jhansi ki Rani' from my mother. I wanted to dress as her and feel powerful,' she said, her eyes gleaming. Her father explained that Sanvi's mother, a native of Uttar Pradesh, had made bedtime tales of the freedom struggle a ritual, leaving the girl with an enduring fascination for its heroes. Elsewhere in the city, the Tricolour found its way into workplaces. At Kompally's newly opened TNR North City Mall, retail staff swapped their usual uniforms for white sarees, kurtas and splashes of green and saffron. 'We rarely get to wear something beyond our dress code. I was very excited to drape a saree,' said one store employee. Her colleague, dressed in white Chikankari kurta and green bottoms with an orange dupatta, added with a smile, 'This day is a matter of pride for all of us Indians. Every year I look forward to dressing up, and also engaging with our customers about the importance of the day.' In residential colonies and gated communities, residents came together earlier in the day for flag-hoisting, speeches and community programmes, before rounding the morning off with snacks and tea. The city's roads breathed easier with regular office traffic on pause, though cafes and restaurants brimmed with families dressed in Independence Day hues. At a popular multicuisine restaurant in Paradise, Keval Kumar, an engineer from Moosarambagh, enjoyed a rare afternoon with his wife and two children. 'We all have different schedules and live in different cities. Today we watched the parade on TV, like we always do, and then came here for lunch. It's our little tradition,' he said. Shops and eateries were decked in saffron, white and green bunting, offering discounts to mark the day, while stationery sellers worked briskly to keep up with the morning rush for flags and decorations. The formal celebrations were led by Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy at the iconic Golconda Fort, where he hoisted the national flag before a crowd of over 5,000, including 1,000 students. Senior police officers, IAS officers, judges, eminent citizens and locals joined in the event, which featured cultural performances by the students. A medal distribution ceremony was also held, with honours - President's Police Medals- minted in Kolkata and presented for the past two to three years. Over 1,000 police personnel were deployed for security and traffic management, which concluded smoothly. The tri-commissionerates, the State police headquarters in Basheerbagh, and other police units also marked the occasion with flag-hoisting ceremonies. By evening, the formal events had wrapped up and the city returned to its usual rhythm, with markets and eateries still dotted with people wearing the day's colours.
NDTV
3 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
All You Need To Know About Revolt Of 1857: How Indians Challenged The British
When the British East India Company refused to recognise Rani Lakshmi Bai's adopted son's claim to the throne, the queen of Jhansi took up arms. In 1853, following the death of her husband, Lakshmi Bai adopted a young relative as her heir. The British, enforcing the Doctrine of Lapse, refused to acknowledge the adoption and annexed Jhansi. At a time when it was unusual for women to lead in battle, Rani Lakshmi Bai rode into combat on horseback with her eight-year-old son strapped to her back. She fought alongside Tatya Tope and Nana Saheb, participating in the 1857 uprising that became known as the Sepoy Mutiny or the First War of Independence. East India Company The East India Company began as a British trading company but gradually transformed into a political and military power, controlling vast regions of India. Its rule ended in 1858, when the British Crown took direct control following the revolt. The Causes Of The Revolt One of the major political triggers of the revolt came from Lord Dalhousie's enforcement of the Doctrine of Lapse. Under this policy, the British refused to recognise adopted heirs when an Indian ruler died without a natural successor and annexed the state into British territory. Jhansi, Satara, Nagpur, and Awadh suffered directly from this rule. The annexation of Awadh hit particularly hard, leaving thousands of nobles, officials, retainers, and soldiers without livelihoods and turning a once-loyal region into a hotbed of discontent. Traditional Indian society felt alarmed by the rapid spread of Western education and reform measures. Abolishing sati, legalising widow remarriage, and raising fears of forced Christian conversions threatened established customs. The British introduced innovations like railways and the telegraph, which, while practical for them, Indians perceived as tools of cultural intrusion. Heavy land taxes and exploitative revenue collection angered peasants and zamindars. The influx of cheap British-manufactured goods undermined Indian handicrafts, especially textiles. Indian sepoys, who formed the bulk of the East India Company's army, suffered inferior treatment compared with European soldiers. The British paid them less, stationed them far from home, and forced them to serve overseas under the General Service Enlistment Act of 1856. When the British introduced greased cartridges, rumoured to contain cow and pig fat, they immediately triggered rebellion, offending both Hindu and Muslim religious sentiments. Key Leaders Of The Revolt Rani Lakshmi Bai (Jhansi): Defended her kingdom with unmatched bravery, strapped her young son to her back in battle, and later joined Tatya Tope to capture Gwalior. Tatya Tope (Kanpur and Gwalior): Expert in guerrilla tactics, coordinated regional resistance. Nana Saheb (Kanpur): Led Kanpur uprising after being denied his pension; escaped British retaliation. Begum Hazrat Mahal (Lucknow): Declared her son the Nawab of Awadh and led the revolt in Lucknow. Kunwar Singh (Bihar): Led uprisings across Bihar and central India, inspiring local resistance. Bakht Khan (Delhi): Formed a Court of soldiers in Delhi and assumed real power during the revolt. Major centres of the rebellion included Meerut, Delhi, Kanpur, Lucknow, Jhansi, Gwalior, Bareilly, and Arrah. The 1857 Revolt The revolt began in Meerut on May 10, 1857, when sepoys refused to use the greased cartridges and marched to Delhi. There, they declared Bahadur Shah II to be the emperor. Subsequent uprisings spread across northern and central India, with local leaders taking command in their regions. Despite early successes, coordination among rebels was limited, and key regions like Punjab and the south remained loyal to the British. Aftermath The British responded with superior military force and brutal reprisals, eventually suppressing the revolt by mid-1858. Lord Canning officially declared peace on July 8, 1858. The aftermath saw major political and military changes: End of East India Company Rule: India came under direct governance of the British Crown. Military Reorganisation: Indian regiments were restructured to prevent unity among soldiers. Policy Changes For Princely States: Annexation ended, allowing rulers to adopt heirs. Divide And Rule: British policies deepened divisions between communities, influencing Indian politics for decades. The 1857 revolt, though unsuccessful in overthrowing British rule, lit a flame of resistance that later grew into the Indian independence movement.
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Colonel Sofiya Qureshi's ancestors fought for Rani Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi
Colonel Sofiya Qureshi's ancestors fought for Rani Lakshmi Bai, the Indian Army personnel said in the upcoming episode of Kaun Banega Crorepati. This is a developing story. We will update with further information.
News18
5 days ago
- Politics
- News18
Independence Day 2025: Essay Writing Tips And Ideas For 15th August School Competition
Independence Day essay writing: Get inspired this I-Day with essay writing tips and topics for students. Explore India's freedom journey, heroes, and patriotic themes for 15 August Independence Day essay writing tips for students: On the 79th Independence Day, schools across India will be organising cultural programs and dance performances to celebrate the patriotic fervour felt by citizens and create awareness among young minds about India's great freedom struggle. While the traditional pre-Independence Day function remains a common form of 15th August celebrations in schools, many educational institutes also arrange essay competitions for students to take part in. Through these competitions, students learn about our freedom fighters and how the democratic and secular country we live in today came to be despite 200 years of British dominance. Here are some of the tips and essay ideas that students can follow and give their best shot at winning their school prize for Independence Day. An essay detailing how the British colonial rule began in the mid-18th century and expanded aggressively through the East India Company before it was first challenged by the Revolt of 1857. Figures like Bahadur Shah Zafar, Rani Lakshmi Bai and Mangal Pandey fought with bravery against the British army and awakened the nationalist sentiment against the white narcissists, laying the foundation for the freedom struggle. Writing on Freedom Fighters While unsuccessful, the Revolt of 1857 laid the groundwork for civil resistance led by several of our political leaders and revolutionaries. Students can write an essay on how Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) leaders such as Bhagat Singh and Chandrashekhar Azad gave the British a taste of their own medicine by opting for violence to protect the rights of the citizens from unlawful practices. They may also focus on the peaceful civil resistance movements led by Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, including the Non-Cooperation Movement (1920), Salt March (1930) and Quit India Movement (1942). Students are also advised to learn and write about Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhas Chandra Bose and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, among other leaders, to truly expand their understanding of the freedom struggle and underline how youth can take inspiration and take part in the national welfare today. Role of Women In the Independence Struggle The brave women of India were not behind and fought for the country's Independence with equal courage. Students can write an essay on how the journey and bravery of Rani Lakshmi Bai during the 1857 Revolt inspired women across the country to take part in the freedom movement. Whether it is Sarojini Naidu, who broke stereotypes as a poet, speaker, and political leader, or Kasturba Gandhi for her participation in civil disobedience movements alongside her husband. Students can also write about Aruna Asaf Ali for fearlessly leading protests and becoming a national icon during the Quit India Movement. About the Author Nibandh Vinod Nibandh Vinod is a seasoned journalist with 26 years of experience, specializing in covering events, festivals, and driving SEO content for A tech-savvy person, Nibandh works closely with a young More Stay updated with the latest education! Get real-time updates on board exam results 2025, entrance exams such as JEE Mains, Advanced, NEET, and more. Find out top schools, colleges, courses and more. Also Download the News18 App to stay updated! view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
India Today
18-06-2025
- General
- India Today
June 18, the day Laxmi Bai, queen of Jhansi died and an icon of rebellion was born
In the history of colonial India, one woman's courage became legend. As the British tightened their grip through the Doctrine of Lapse and the flames of the 1857 Mutiny erupted, Rani Lakshmi Bai emerged as a formidable leader, rallying her people against overwhelming odds. With Major General Hugh Rose's forces closing in, her daring escape from Jhansi's besieged fort set the stage for a final, fateful stand in Gwalior. This is the story of a warrior queen who declared, 'Meri Jhansi Nahi Doongi (I will not surrender my Jhansi).'advertisementMajor General Hugh Rose stared at Jhansi's towering walls, his Central India Field Force poised for a decisive attack. The air crackled with tension, dust swirling under the boots of 4,300 men - sepoys, cavalry, and artillery - arrayed against Rani Lakshmi Bai's defiant stronghold. Rose, born in Berlin to British parents and weathered by battles from Russia to Poona, surveyed the fort's cannons. From a distance, he glimpsed the silhouetted figure of the warrior queen behind the Lakshmi Bai wore her trademark Jodhpurs with a bodice. Two pistols rested in holsters from her hips. A diamond on the hilt of a dagger, dipped in poison, sparkled under the sun. On her head was a cap, covered with a silk scarf, giving it the shape and swirl of a Watching the queen from a distance, only one phrase echoed in Rose's mind: 'Meri Jhansi Nahi Doongi.' The challenge hurled at the British steeled his resolve. Facing him was the lioness of Jhansi, and the daughter of Kashi, later immortalised by Subhadra Kumari Chauhan's stirring poetry. The lioness was ready to fight, like a (Banaras), The BirthplaceThe year of her birth is unknown. Some say she was born in 1828. Others think it was later. But the legend of Manikarnika – Manu - began with a cry piercing the sacred air by the Ganges in the holy city of Kashi (Banaras).Legend has it that the city was made of gold. But the evil deeds of its residents robbed Banaras of its glitter, turning it into an ordinary town. On the side facing the historic Kashi Vishwanath Temple and Aurangzeb's mosque on the Ganga ghat lived Moropant Tambe (originally Wai), a Karhade Brahmin courtier, and Bhagirathi, his beautiful wife. In their house was born a girl who would be hailed years later as a freedom named after the Ganga, was raised in the household of Baji Rao II in Bithoor, the Peshwas of the Maratha confederacy. Barely five, she sparred with sticks in Bithoor's dusty courts, outpacing boys twice her age. Among her sparring partners were future heroes - the Peshwa's sons Nana Saheb and Rao Saheb, and nephew Tatya a ride atop an elephant, she famously declared that one day she'd have dozens. Peshwa Baji Rao II, her mentor, saw a warrior's spirit. 'This girl,' he said, 'will carve her name in history.' Her fate was sealed. Destiny and Jhansi - The ShadowOrchha, a town on the Betwa River, is considered the kingdom of Lord Rama. One of his descendants built the fort of Jhansi in the early 17th century on a steep rock just 18 km away. According to legend, when the ruler of Orchha asked if the new fort was visible from his fort, he was told it appeared 'jhain-sa', like a shadow. Thus was born Jhansi, the gateway to Bundelkhand in modern Uttar was not foretold. During the British Raj, its ruler Ramchandra Rao demonstrated his loyalty to the British by offering to adopt the Union Jack as Jhansi's official flag. It was allowed. This exhibition of loyalty earned the family the right to rule Jhansi through their legal heirs in perpetuity. (The Ranee of Jhansi: DV Tamhankar)advertisementTrouble erupted when Gangadhar Rao ascended the throne amidst a succession battle. After his first wife passed away childless, Rao married Manikarnika. Their son, born in 1852, passed away within three months of birth. Soon, Gangadhar Rao also died because of dysentery, after adopting a relative, whom he named as the the adoption ran into a law passed by the Doctrine of LapseIn the chaos of 1853, the Doctrine of Lapse, Lord Dalhousie's ruthless policy, struck Jhansi like a thunderbolt. This British stratagem allowed the East India Company to annex princely states without direct heirs, dismissing adopted successors. When Raja Gangadhar Rao died, the British refused to recognise the adopted son as Jhansi's ruler, and annexed Jhansi in 1854. Manikarnika, revered as Lakshmi Bai after the Indian goddess of wealth, was reduced to a pleas to be recognised as Regent and her adopted son as king were rejected, despite favourable reports from the British political agent. Lakshmi Bai was confined to a life of obscurity on the fringes of Jhansi. But the circle of life was Mutiny - Queen's GambitBy 1857, discontent simmered across India, fueled by British insensitivity towards peasants and artisans. There were fears of forced conversions, most notably through the alleged mixing of bones in wheat flour for soldiers, and the rumoured use of cow and pig fat in rifle cartridges, an affront to Hindu and Muslim May, the Indian Mutiny erupted in Meerut, spreading like wildfire to garrisons across the north, including Jhansi. On June 7, 1857, Jhansi's sepoys rose in revolt, seizing the Star Fort, a British outpost within the city. Many British residents sought refuge there, hoping for June 8, the mutineers, led by risaldar Kala Khan, besieged the fort. After negotiations, the British surrendered, expecting safe passage, but were massacred near Jakhan Bagh, just outside the city Bai's involvement in the Jhansi massacre of 1857 remains contested. British accounts, such as those of her lawyer John Lang, suggest she lacked control over the mutineers, who acted independently. Her letters to British officials, dated June 1857, claim she protected some Europeans and sought to maintain order, yet her role was scrutinised (National Archives of India). Conversely, other British reports accused her of complicity, arguing she failed to intervene. Evidence suggests she was overwhelmed by the chaos, caught between her people's fury and her limited power. The massacre, nonetheless, established Jhansi as a rebel stronghold and marked Lakshmi Bai as a British Ruler ReturnsWith the British expelled, the mutineers declared Lakshmi Bai the ruler of Jhansi in June 1857. Some accounts suggest the mutineers offered her leadership in exchange for a payment of 1,00,000 rupees, threatening to appoint Sadasheo Rao, a relative of the deceased Maharaja, if she assumed power, not as a passive figurehead but as a determined leader. By late 1857, she had solidified her rule, organising a force of roughly 10,000 troops. These included sepoys, volunteers, and a women's brigade, called the Amazons of Jhansi. Historical accounts suggest every woman in Jhansi was trained to ride and shoot. With her army ready, the Rani of Jhansi was waiting for the British 1858, The Noose TightensMarching from Bombay through Indore, Hugh Rose's Central India Field Force reached Jhansi in March 1858, intent on crushing the rebellion's heart. By now, the rebellion had been crushed everywhere, only isolated pockets of challenge, like Jhansi, British army, equipped with heavy artillery and disciplined troops, was led by a great leader. Its batteries were loaded with heavy firepower. Facing them was a rag-tag coalition led by the young March 24, Rose commenced a relentless bombardment, targeting Jhansi's walls with cannon fire. The fort, built on a steep rock, was a natural stronghold, but its defenses strategy was methodical: weaken the walls, then storm the city. By early April, after days of bombardment, breaches appeared in Jhansi's that Jhansi was about to fall, British troops launched a full-scale assault, scaling the walls under heavy Fall and The EscapeLakshmi Bai, realising the fort could not hold, made a daring decision. On the night of April 4-5, as the British tightened their grip, she escaped with a small retinue, including her adopted claims she leapt from the fort's walls on horseback, though accounts vary. British records confirm her escape, noting her route toward Kalpi, where she joined rebel leaders like Tatya fell to Rose's forces. But Lakshmi Bai's escape marked not defeat but defiance. The rebels fought at Kalpi, where they were defeated. At this point, Tatya Tope suggested a daring a part of the Maratha confederacy, was still supporting the British. Unlike other kingdoms of the region, it had not joined the 1857 rebellion, its soldiers, though restive, had not supported the revolt by sepoys of other states. Tope outlined a plan for attacking Gwalior, and turning its formidable fort into a bastion of the June 1, 1858, Tope, alongside Rani Lakshmi Bai and Rao Sahib, pounced on Gwalior. The pro-British Maharaja of Gwalior fled as the rebels seized the fort, declaring Hindavi Swaraj under Nana Saheb Peshwa. They persuaded the Gwalior contingent to join their cause. Celebrations broke out throughout north India, people assumed the end of British Raj was imminent with the impregnable Gwalior fort now under the control of Nana Saheb, Tope and Lakshmi Rose's army was still pursuing them. The defining battle of the rebellion was 17, 1858, GwaliorGeneral Hugh Rose's army started blasting the Gwalior fort. Despite initial resistance, the rebels were outgunned and outnumbered. The British artillery and cavalry overwhelmed their defenses. On June 18, Lakshmi Bai, dressed as a male soldier, made a daring attempt to break through British lines but was fatally wounded in combat near British were unaware of her death for two days. One report said she was shot and killed near Phool Bagh batteries. Another British account suggests she was with Rao Sahib and Tatya Tope, observing advances, and was struck by bullets and a sabre, surviving briefly before being carried toward Phool Bagh, where she was biggest compliment came from General Rose. He acknowledged her as the bravest and best military leader of the rebels. Unlike most of the rebels, she vowed to fight till the end, and perished on the death marked a devastating blow to the rebellion. The British recaptured Gwalior soon after, consolidating their control. Tatya Tope continued guerrilla attacks on the British before being captured and hanged. The Peshwa turned into a sanyasin, but was caught and Bai's martyrdom became an Indian legend, which is still sung with pride. Because of her, Lakshmi Bai is not just a name, it is a synonym for courage and defiance - Meri Jhansi Nahi Reel
