Most of the sources regarding the 1857 Uprising were written by British officials and civilians. From the Indian side we have more or less nothing as regards their experiences of the ‘event’.
The only exception is the memoir of Durgadas Bandopadhyay, which was published in Bengali in the 1920s. The first-ever translation of this memoir ensures a wide readership of a unique and valuable resource.
Durgadas, an assistant attached with the 8th Irregular Cavalry Regiment, provides a ‘loyalist account’ of 1857, describing the causes and the course of the Mutiny as well as his own personal role in the ‘great event’.
Most of the memoirs by the sahibs and memsahibs concentrate on three epic centres of the ‘Mutiny’ — Delhi, Lucknow and Kanpur. Durgadas’ story shifts the geographical focus to Rohilkhand, and provides detailed portrayals of the rebel leaders — a feature missing in the accounts of British officers.
No comments:
Post a Comment