Bharatiya Pragna - Dr. Th Chowdary

Indian War Of
Independence 1857
1. Parasnis’s Life of the Queen of Jhansi.
In the early life of Nana Sahib and
Manu Bai, we have the key to their future greatness.
Their flesh and blood, even in early childhood,
had been permeated by the love of Swaraj
and a noble sense of self-respect and pride of
ancestry. In 1842, the Chabeli was given In
marriage to Maharaja Gangadhar Rao Baba
Sahib of Jhansi, and thus became Maharani
Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi. She was extremely popular
at the Court of that place and gained the affection
and devoted loyalty of all her subjects,
as the later part of this history will show.
In 1851, the Peshwa Bajirao II died.
Let not a single tear be shed for his death ! For,
after losing his own kingdom in 1818, this blot in
the escutcheon of the Peshwas spent his time in
helping to ruin the kingdoms of other kings ! He
saved considerably on the pension of eight lakhs
of Rupees allowed to him by the Company’s
Government, and invested it in the notes of the
Company. Later when the English went to war
with Afghanistan, he helped them with a loan of
fifty lakhs out of his savings. Soon after, the English
went to war with the Sikh nation of the
Panjab. And all were in hopes, and the English
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The Volcano
NANA SAHIB & LAXMI BAI
V D Savarkar
in fears, that the Mahratta
at Brahmavarta would
make common cause with
the Sikh Misals against the
English power. When almost
the whole of India was fighting
against Aurangzeb, Shri Guru Govind Singh, after
a defeat in the Panjab, had come into the
Maharashtra, it is said, to enter into an active
alliance with the Mahrattas. Now it seemed that
the Mahrattas would go into Northern India on
a similar mission, and perform the unfulfilled
promises of the alliance. But Baji spoiled the
sport at the eleventh hour. This Baji - this Peshwa
of Shivaji and his descendants – spent money
out of his own pocket and sent one thousand
infantry and one thousand cavalry to the assistance
of the English ! This Bajirao had not troops
enough to help the enemy to desecrate the house
of Guru Govind Singh ! O unfortunate nation !
The Mahrattas should take the kingdom of the
Sikhs and the Sikhs should take the kingdom of
the Mahrattas – and all this for what ? In order
that the English might dance in joy over the
corpses of both. We have rather to thank the
God of Death that such a traitor – this Baji –
died before 1857.
November & December 2008 Bharatiya Pragna