Tirot Singh: An Unsung Hero of the Khasi Tribe who destroyed British with his skill at Guerrilla Warfare

Tirot Singh: An Unsung Hero of the Khasi Tribe who destroyed British with his skill at Guerrilla Warfare

Tirot Sing is North East India’s legendary freedom fighter. Tirot and his band of warriors fought the British, and was on par with developing guerrilla warfare tactics, like Chattrapati Shivaji to near perfection in the hilly terrains.

Tirot Singh was a constitutional head of Nongkhlow. He was the king of the Khadsawphra Syiemship. Tirot Singh, also known as U Tirot Singh Syiem was the chief of the Khasi people in the early 19th century. He drew his lineage from the Syiemlieh clan. He was Syiem (chief) of Nongkhlaw, part of the Khasi Hills.

During his battles with the British, he organised the Khasi warriors. This ability to inspire the leaders and cadre came in for high praise, even from the enemy. He had also mastered the art of guerrilla warfare.

Tirot selected special bands of warriors and deployed them in caves to produce ammunition for warfare. Tirot Singh knew the importance of being informed and gathered intelligence to facilitate his decisions and actions.

Anglo-Khasi War

The British had gained control over the Brahmaputra valley after concluding the Treaty of Yandabo in 1826. They wanted to link two regions for easier transport and strategic purposes and now they had to construct a road through the Khasi Hills.

David Scott, political agent of the British,requested Tirot Singh for permission to construct a road cutting through the hills which belonged to the Khasis.

British said in exchange Tirot Sing would be given control of the duars (passes into Assam) and also assured of free trade in the region.

After the construction of the road started, the Raja of Ranee Balaram Singh disputed Tirot Sing’s possession of the duars and claimed them for himself.

Now, Tirot Sing expected the British to support him but instead they blocked his entry and he also heard that the British were bringing in reinforcements from Guwahati and Sylhet. Tirot Singh asked British to leave Nongkhlaw. But Britishers continued to remain in their post.

On 4 April 1829, Khasi forces under Tirot Sing attacked the British garrison. Two officers were killed in the attack.

The British retaliated and even though, the Khasis were brave and fearless, they could not match up to the modern firearms of their enemies. Despite this, Tirot Sing and his troops carried on guerrilla warfare with the British for four years.

Tirot Sing sustained bullet injuries and  hid in a cave in the hills. However, he was betrayed and captured by the British in January 1833. After a trial, he was deported to Dhaka, Bangladesh and died in captivity on 17th July 1835.

India’s first war of Independence: The first blow that came to shatter the British rule in India

India’s first war of Independence: The first blow that came to shatter the British rule in India

India’s first war of independence also known as the Indian Rebellion of 1857, began on May 10 in the year 1857. The first martyr of the revolt was Mangal Pandey. Other rebellions and leaders included Rani Lakshmibai, Kunwar Singh, Bahadur Shah, Nana Saheb, Tatia Tope and Begum Hazrat Mahal

This was the first joint revolt against the British and the British historians called it “Sepoy Mutiny”

Reasons that led to the war

There was a policy of non-interference in the socio-religious life of the Indians but the British did not follow it. Christian missionaries were allowed to enter India and carry on with their mission of proselytizing. Also, The Religious Disabilities Act of 1850 modified the traditional Hindu law.

The Indians disliked and distrusted the administration of the British as they had abolished several intermediaries like Jagirdars, Taluqdars etc. with whom the people had direct contacts and they drew certain advantages as well.

British utilized the sources and wealth of India for their own ends. After Industrial Revolution imports from England augmented and the British created monopoly on trade in their favour. They converted India into a supplier of raw materials and a market for their finished goods

British interfered in the internal matters of Indian States and followed the policy of divide and rule. The subsidiary alliance and the Doctrine of Lapse of Dalhousie angered Indian Princes. Dalhousie announced in 1849, that the successor of Bahadur Shah II would have to leave the Red Fort. When Dalhousie wanted to apply the Doctrine of Lapse to Karauli, he was overruled by the court of Directors.

On January 1857, rumours had been taking rounds that the English cartridges were greased with animal fat. Cow was sacred to Hindus and pig was prohibited for Muslims and the Indian soldiers felt that the British were deliberately trying to spoil their religion.

Indian soldiers in the British army were looked down upon by their English officers. They were required to serve in area away from their homes without the payment of extra bhatta and were paid low salaries and not promoted above the rank of subedar.

Introduction of a new land revenue system which snatched the land from cultivators.

Reasons for its failure

The epicentres of the war Kanpur, Lucknow, Aligarh, Agra, Arrah, Delhi, and were far from each other due to which there was a communication gap between the leaders.

Also, the rebellion had no central leadership due to which it got limited to some parts of India only

The  rebels did not have enough weapons and money whereas British had advanced weapons and enough money to fight the war.

Majorly northern India was affected by this revolt, the three presidencies of Bengal, Bombay and Madras remained mostly unaffected  and Sikh soldiers also did not take part in the rebellion.

Impact of the war

The revolt of 1857 shook the foundation of British East India Company. In August 1850, the British Parliament passed an act for Better Government of India.

It marked the beginning of British raj that bestowed powers in the hands of the British government to rule India directly through representatives.

This British officer in 1879 claimed he was saved by Lord Shiva, Here’s the story

This British officer in 1879 claimed he was saved by Lord Shiva, Here’s the story

British have ruled India for several years and never respected or believed in Indian traditions. Infact, they allowed Christian missionaries to enter India and also destroyed several monuments and temples of India.

But, in 1879, a British officer claimed that he saw Shiva like Yogi who saved his life.

Here’s the story

An officer in the British Army, Lt. Col. Martin of Agar Malva, was leading the army in the war against Afghanistan.

He would regularly send messages of his well-being to his wife. But after a few days Lady Martin stopped getting his messages which worried her.

Days passed and one day, while riding on her horse, she passed by the temple of Baijnath Mahadev.She went inside the temple as the sound of mantras and conch attracted her. There she came to know that the Brahmans were worshipping Lord Shiva.

Noticing that she was tensed Brahmanas asked her what was the matter. After she explained them everything, Brahmanas told her that Lord Shiva listens to the prayers of devotees and saves them from any difficulties

Lady Martin started the ‘Laghu-rudri Anushtthan’ of the Mantra, ‘Om Namah Shivaya’, for 11 days. She prayed to Lord Shiva that if her husband reaches home safely, she would get the temple renovated.

On the last of the ‘Laghu-rudri’, a messenger came and gave her a letter which was from her husband.

In the letter, Col Martin had written  that he was regularly sending messages to her from the battle grounds, but suddenly the Pathans surrounded them from all sides.

They thought that there was no escape from the trap but suddenly they saw a Yogi of India with long hair, carrying a weapon with three pointers (Trishul).

Martin described his personality and said that he was maneuvering his weapon with a magnificent style. He said that Pathans started running back after seeing this great man.

He further said that only with his grace we were able to win and escape from Pathans. Martin said the Yogi told him that he should not worry and that he had come to rescue him because he was very pleased with his wife’s prayers.

After several weeks, Col. Martin returned and visited the Baijnath Mahadev Temple along with his wife to thank Lord Shiva. It was then that he realised the striking resemblance of Lord Shiva to the Yogi who saved his life.

Col Martin and his wife became devotees of Lord Shiva and helped in rebuilding the temple premises. They also donated money for its maintenance.

Bajinath Temple is the only temple built by British and the couple’s name is engraved on the slab inside the temple premises.

Jhalkari Bai: The story of a brave woman who deceived the British as ‘The other Rani Lakshmi Bai’

Jhalkari Bai: The story of a brave woman who deceived the British as ‘The other Rani Lakshmi Bai’

We all know about Jhansi Lakshmi Bai, who fought with the British like a lioness and played a critical role in First war of Indian independence of 1857. There are several books, movies and serials based on her life. But, how many are aware of Jhalkari Bai, the one who led Rani Lakshmi Bai’s all women battalion ‘Durga dal’. However, recently her role was played by Ankita Lokhande in the movie Manikarnika.

She is not only remembered for her courage and sacrifice, but also for the fact  that she disguised herself as the queen and fought to let the queen escape safely out of the fort.

Here is her story

Jhlakari Bai is often referred to as ‘the other Rani Lakshmi Bai’. She was born on November 22, 1830 to Sadoba Singh and Jamuna Devi in Bhojla village near Jhansi. She was their only child and lost her mother at a very young age. Her family belonged to the Kori caste. Her father took care of Jhalkari and raised her as a single parent.

At a very young age, she was trained to use weapons, ride a horse, and fight like a warrior. She also killed a wild leopard in the forest with a stick that she used to herd the cattle. Jhalkari also fought with the dacoits and drove them away from the village

She got married to Puran Singh, a soldier in Rani Lakshmi Bai’s army. He was a soldier of great caliber even the generals of the army had recognized it.

Jhalkari bai met ‘Rani Lakshmi Bai’ for the first time during Gauri Pooja as number of women from the kingdom had visited the fort

It is said that Jhalkari looked a lot like Rani Laxmi Bai and it was noticed by Rani Lakshmi Bai She enquired about Jhalkari and came to know of her bravery and her skill of wielding weapon. Impressed by her skills, Jhansi ki Rani inducted Jhalkari into her women wing and she got her training to shoot and ignite cannons to fight British invasion

It is said that Jhalkari used to make decisions on behalf of the queen. She went out as a cover for Laxmibai, even confronted the enemies and saved Laxmibai’s life from the British soldiers.

In 1858, Field Marshal Hugh Henry Rose, attacked and Jhansi Rani took on British forces from her fort with just an army of 4000 men.

But, the queen was betrayed by her own and her counsel suggested her quick escape, because at the moment to have queen alive was much important than holding fort.

When the time came for Rani Lakshmi Bai to escape into safety, Jhalkari without second thought got ready to become ‘Rani Lakshmi Bai’.

Jhalkari disguised herself as queen and took command of the army and rode upto the General Rose’s camp.

Jhalkari demanded a meeting with General which gave queen sufficient time to escape.General thought it is Rani Lakshmi Bai who have come to meet him and asked Jhalkari what should be the punishment given to her? Jhalkari had answered without even a hint of fear ‘to hang her’.

But, a day later, a man named Dulha Joo identified Jhalkari and British learned that they have been deceived.

Some legend says that she was executed when British learnt the truth about her, whereas a few sources suggest that General was impressed by the answer and released her saying, if every Indian shows atleast a percent of fearlessness Jhalkari had, British rule will be very short lived in future.

Jhalkari is said to have collected information on her queen but failed to reunite with the army. After death of Rani Lakshmi Bai she is said to have lived in the jungle and passed away in 1890.