In India, Pandey has been remembered as a freedom fighter against British rule. It was rumored that people used cow or pig moss to make weapons smoother, which started to fall apart in Hindu and Muslim communities. A member of the 34th Regiment of the Bengal native infantry of the East India Company, Mangal Pandey is counted among the most popular figures associated with India's freedom struggle in present times. The Indian rebellion of 1857 was started over a rifle introduced to the sepoy armies. [2], Baugh immediately armed himself and galloped on his horse to the lines. were declared unsuited to take charge of any new regiments raised to replace the disbanded units. He played a major role in the revolt of 1857, or the First war of Independence. This initiated a period when heightened Indian nationalism steered India toward independence. Mangal Pandey was born on July 19th1827 in the Nagwa village of Upper Ballia district in Uttar Pradesh. The stamp and the accompanying first-day cover were designed by Delhi-based artist C. R. Hisfather’s name was Divakar Pandey who was a peasant and his mother was AbhairaniPandey. He was aware of his hot temperament and wanted … The vision and mission for a Free India | Image: File Image Born on July 19, 1827 in the village of Nagwa, district Ballia, Uttar Pradesh, Mangal Pandey was introduced to Indian history as the first freedom fighter and martyr of 1857. At his court-martial, he stated that he had been taking bhang and opium, and was not conscious of his actions on 29 March. But his name would be immortalized in history. and (subsequent to the incident of 29 March) Colonel Wheeler of Pandey's 34th B.N.I. The wife of Captain William Halliday of the 56th B.N.I. Before Baugh could draw his sword, Pandey attacked him with a talwar (a heavy Indian sword) and closing with the adjutant, slashed Baugh on the shoulder and neck and brought him to the ground. [5], The Indian historian Surendra Nath Sen notes that the 34th B.N.I. The General threatened to shoot the first man who disobeyed. This chapter uses the popular and critically acclaimed film Mangal Pandey: The Rising (2005) to illustrate how history is used to rediscover and imagine an Indian legacy of muscular nationalism. Mangal sought to remove the shackles of poverty that surrounded his family. is important because it was the regiment charged with testing the new cartridges on 26 February 1857. Before the annexation, these sepoys had the right to petition the British Resident at Lucknow for justice — a significant privilege in the context of native courts. There are various opinions as to what happened on March 29, 1857. File Description Size Format Image; 01_Majumdar_Mangal_Pandey:_Film_and_2007.pdf: 1.91 MB: Adobe PDF Request a copy Hewson had charged towards Pandey as he was fighting with Lieutenant Baugh. Himself wounded by now, Paltu was obliged to loosen his grip. Born to a humble brahmin family, Mangal Pandey was a Sepoy in the 6 th Company of the 34 th Native Infantry. Pandey inspired the Indian Mutiny (also called the Indian Rebellion of 1857, among other names) after rumours circulated that cow lard was used to grease rifle cartridges, which was repugnant to Hindus. He was a sipahi or sepoy in British East Indian Company for the 34th Bengal Native Infantry Regiment. He was admitted as an Indian soldier in the 34th Army team of Bengal East India Company, Bengal Native Infantry (BNI), Mangal Pandey was involved in the English East India Company to know about earlier incidents in Indian history and to attack British officers. Mangal Pandey (19 July 1827 – 8 April 1857) was an Indian soldier who played a key part in the events immediately preceding the outbreak of the Indian rebellion of 1857. For this, he was hanged on 8th April 1857. It appeared that Pandey had acted without first taking other sepoys into his confidence but that antipathy towards their British officers within the regiment had led most of those present to act as spectators, rather than obey orders. He was a Hindu of the aristocratic Brahman caste, which had been especially dispossessed under British paramountcy. [4], The 19th and 34th Bengal Native Infantry were stationed at Lucknow during the time of the annexation of Oudh in 1856 because of alleged misgovernment by the Nawab. The cartridge was thought to be greased with animal fat, primarily from cows and pigs, which could not be consumed by Hindus and Muslims respectively (the former a holy animal of the Hindus and the latter being abhorrent to Muslims). Mangal Pandey was born on 19 July 1827 in Nagwa, a village of upperBallia district, Uttar Pradesh, in a Brahmin family. Mangal Pandey – The First Man to fight for Independent India He was known for his rebellion against the British regiment officers. Mangal Pandey (Aamir Khan), a sepoy (soldier of Indian origin) in the 34th Bengal Native Infantry of the company's army, is being led to his execution by hanging for fomenting mutiny against company rule. [14], The life of Pandey was the subject of a stage play titled The Roti Rebellion, which was written and directed by Supriya Karunakaran. That came after a period of six weeks while petitions for leniency were examined in Calcutta. Mangal Pandey is one of the great freedom fighters and worked against the British rule during the Indian first freedom fight in 1857. Pandey's reference to cartridges is usually attributed to a new type of bullet cartridge used in the Enfield P-53 rifle which was to be introduced in the Bengal Army that year. Regiment was disbanded "with disgrace" on 6 May as a collective punishment, after an investigation by the government, for failing to perform their duty in restraining a mutinous soldier and their officer. Mangal Pandey’s actions in 1857 sparked the Indian Mutiny, also often called India’s First War of Independence. In March 1857, he was a private soldier (sepoy) in the 5th Company of the 34th Bengal Native Infantry. Mangal Pandey was born on 19 July 1827 in Nagwa, a village of upper Ballia district, Ceded and Conquered Provinces (now in Uttar Pradesh). A sepoy serving with the British East India Company, he protested against the issue of greased cartridge to the soldiers; the cartridges were rumored to have been greased with either cow or pig lard. Directed by Harmesh Malhotra. When Mangal Pandey was 22 years old, he joined the army of the British East India Company in 1849. However, the next morning the sepoys of the regiment seized their bell of arms (weapons store). He joined the East India Company's army in 1849 at the age of 18. However, Paltu continued to hold Pandey until Baugh and the sergeant-major was able to get up. A commemorative postage stamp with his image on it was issued by the Indian government in 1984. This video is about Mangal Pandey (The First Hero Of Indian Independence) Biography in Hindi. Witnessing the execution is Pandey's friend, Captain William Gordon (Toby Stephens), who is relieved when the execution is delayed due to the hangman's refusal to hang Pandey. There have been various accounts of the events of March 29, 1857. Mangal Pandey, who joined the sepoy force of the British East India Company in the year 1849, at the age of 22. Pandey joined the army of the British East India Company in 1849, some accounts suggesting that he was recruited by a brigade that marched past him. [16], The Government of India commemorated Pandey by issuing a postage stamp bearing his image on 5 October 1984. Mangal Pandey was born on July 19, 1827 in Nagwa village of Ballia district of Uttar Pradesh. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). The rebellion led to the abolition of the British East India Company in favour of direct British rule. Be it Kolkata intellectuals, the Mangal Pandey Suraksha Samiti in Uttar Pradesh He worked as a sepoy in the Bengal Native Infantry of the British East India Company. Anticipating a revolt, British authorities moved up his initial execution date from April 18 to April 8, when he was hanged. He concluded his exhortation with an appeal to the native officers to uphold the honour of the regiment and a threat to court-martial such sepoys as refused to accept the cartridge. Research Fellow, Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore, Singapore. Taking in the scene, he rode up to the guard, drew his pistol and ordered them to do their duty by seizing Mangal Pandey. An incident that happened when he was posted at the garrison in Barrackpore in the mid-1850s would change the course of his life and significantly impact the Indian independence movement. Pandey was soon tried and sentenced to death. In 1849 he joined the British Indian Army as a soldier in the Sixth Company in the 34th Native Bengal Infantry. Mangal Pandey was an Indian soldier who played an important role in incidents prior to the uprising of 1857, known by different names like the ‘Indian Rebellion of 1857,’ the ‘Sepoy Mutiny’ and ‘India’s First War of Independence.’ His name has become synonymous with the revolt of 1857. During the incident itself he shouted to other sepoys: "come out – the Europeans are here"; "from biting these cartridges we shall become infidels" and "you sent me out here, why don't you follow me". He joined the Bengal Army in the year 1849. Mangal Pandey was born on 19 July 1827 in the village of Nagwa in the Ballia district of Uttar Pradesh. Mangal Pandey played a key part in events immediately preceding the 1857 rebellion and is widely regarded as a freedom fighter in modern India. was known as a zealous Christian preacher. He played an important part that immediately outbreak into the Indian revolt of 1857. Testimony at a subsequent enquiry recorded that Pandey, unsettled by unrest amongst the sepoys and intoxicated by the narcotic bhang, had seized weapons and run to the quarter-guard building upon learning that a detachment of British soldiers was disembarking from a steamer near the cantonment. The Indian troops thought that it was a deliberate act of the British in an attempt to defile their religions. In line with the modern India… Mangal Pandey was born on 19thJuly 1827 in a Brahmin family in Nagwa, a village of Ballia district in Uttar Pradesh. Mangal Pandey was an Indian soldier born on 19 July 1827 in Nagwa, Ballia district, India. In the meantime, Baugh had arrived on the field shouting 'Where is he? At this juncture, Shaikh Paltu, while trying to defend the two Englishmen called upon the other sepoys to assist him. In addition, a movie and stage play that depicted his life both appeared in 2005. Corrections? Facts about Mangal Pandey will make you learn more about the life of an Indian soldier considered as a hero in modern India. Get exclusive access to content from our 1768 First Edition with your subscription. The annexation had negative implications for sepoys in the Bengal Army (a significant portion of whom came from that princely state). Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Gordon is indebted to Mangal and a strong friendship develops between them, transcending consideration of rank and race. Mangal Pandey would prove to be influential for later figures in the Indian Nationalist Movement like V.D. Hewson in reply called out to Baugh, 'Ride to the right, sir, for your life. [9], The 19th B.N.I. He is popularly named ‘Shaheed Mangal Pandey’ because ‘Shaheed’ means martyr in Urdu and he was the first Indian sepoy who woke up the Indian masses… https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mangal-Pandey, MapsofIndia.com - Government and Politics - Biography of Mangal Pandey, IndiaNetzone - Indian Personalities - Biography of Mangal Pandey, ILoveIndia.com - Biography of Mangal Pandey. Pandey took position behind the station gun, which was in front of the quarter-guard of the 34th, took aim at Baugh and fired. He backed away in one direction and Baugh and Hewson in another, while being struck with the butt ends of the guards' muskets. This incident marked an opening stage in what came to be known as the India's First War of Independence or Indian Mutiny of 1857. During a fierce battle in one of the Afghan wars that the Company fought in the mid-century, Mangal Pandey, the heroic sepoy, saves the life of his British commanding officer, William Gordon. [4], Pandey recovered and was brought to trial less than a week later. [17], A park named Shaheed Mangal Pandey Maha Udyan has been set up at Barrackpore to commemorate the place where Pandey attacked British officers and was subsequently hanged. [8], Colonel S. Wheeler of the 34th B.N.I. [1] In response Hewson ordered Ishwari Prasad to fall in the guard with loaded weapons. [4], In the meantime, a report of the incident had been carried to the commanding officer General Hearsey, who then galloped to the ground with his two officer sons. He was a sepoy (infantryman) in the 34th Bengal Native Infantry (BNI) regiment of the British East India Company. [4], Mangal Pandey's execution was scheduled for 8 April (See Forrest 1893). The 19th B.N.I. Pandey then put the muzzle of the musket to his chest and discharged it by pressing the trigger with his foot. 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