1857 : Awadh Ka Muktisangram

This book by renowned journalist and scholar Akhilesh Mishra documents the liberation struggle of the people of Awadh against a plundering imperialist regime. The determined resistance Awadh displayed against Britain, the worlds greatest power, and the longevity of this resistance, is unparalleled in any other part of India. The book also highlights Awadhs shared heritage of Hindu-Muslim unity during the 1857 Revolution. This struggle once again highlighted that the foundations of Hindu-Muslim unity are deep and cannot be weakened by any divisive tactics. Among the leaders of the movement, Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah, Begum Hazrat Mahal, Raja Jailal, Rana Venimadhav, and Raja Devi Baksh Singh, who were Hindus and who were Muslims? They were all fighters fighting for freedom from a tyrannical imperialist power. The character of this liberation struggle was progressive. Not only did Awadh wholeheartedly accept the leadership of a woman, Begum Hazrat Mahal, in this struggle, but women from every class, caste, and religion enthusiastically played their respective roles in this revolution, whether it was Rani Rajeshwari Devi of Tulsipur or the warrior Uda Devi Pasi, known until a few years ago as an unknown heroine. While kings, landlords, and clerics may have been at the forefront of Awadhs liberation struggle, it was the fighting spirit of the peasants and common people fighting shoulder to shoulder with them that ended British rule in Awadh within seven days. This book brings to focus some of these neglected aspects of the 1857 uprising. Remembering the 1857 uprising is important today because history is not just an account of the past, it also teaches lessons. Today, in this era of globalization, when the net of plunder by multinational companies is continuously tightening its noose around the common Indian, we can learn a lot from the year 1857, when the East India Company took on the country and defeated it, even if only for a brief period.