An unknown Dalit Hero at the 1857 rebellion against the British; Virangana Jhalkari Bai

Light a candle for this great Indian hero

The war which took place in the year 1857 will be etched into the pages of Indian freedom fighting history till years to come where it saw the coming together of all the people from all the strata of the society and joining hands to fight the British colonial rule or to seek freedom from the clutches of the East India Company and the exploitation they were conferring on the Indian people.

Even till date, the upheaval of the year 1857 is portrayed as one of the foremost and most important phase of the freedom movement and the stories associated with it showcased in the important days such as 15^th August and 26^th January’s all over the social media, print media and national television all across the nation.

While the rebellion of 1857 has to be a part of the history books of every Indian national, it actually inculcated the sense of ownership we have towards our nation and the sense of patriotism and respect for the martyred souls.

If you remember the names that were inscribed in bold letters when the history text books spoke loud and clear about the 1857 freedom rebellion it spoke of the Rani Laxmi Bai’s, mangal pandey, tantia Tope, Bahadur Shah Zafar, Tipu Sultan and some others whom we still remember for sure.

But why am I talking about all this right? You will get to know soon, just keep patience and read on…

While most of what our history books taught us in school majorly focused on the deeds of Rani Laxmi Bai, the Queen of the Kingdom of Jhansi in India, who like any of her male King counterparts fought with valor and courage against the British and died a martyr’s death while at the battlefield, the other part of the story is again untold and unaccounted for.

According to our very own history text books once more, it has been mentioned that when the British troops raided the kingdom of Jhansi, Laxmi Bai was forced to leave her kingdom and was caught in the middle. However, as like her and many of the other kings or freedom fighters have been given credits for their valor and sacrifice for our national freedom movement, some of the others are yet to get the due credit. One such woman, who was at par with the courage and valor as of the Queen of Jhansi was the Dalit woman of courage, Jhalkari Bai, which most of the upper- class historians of those times ignored to mention in their books.

The unknown legend; Jhalkari Bai

Thanks to the present day movements which has brought about the topic of this great warrior and freedom fighter, Jhalkari Bai who otherwise would have been behind the veil of ignorance in public eyes.

Jhalkari Bai was one of the rebels who took an active part in the rebellion of the year 1857, and was a part of the Kori caste of the untouchables and thus maybe, have been conveniently ignored in the earlier years. Sad but true, this warrior was an unknown story to most till some brought about a splurge of change which also ushered me to write on this great Dalit woman warrior, who was way ahead of her time.

Her life and deeds

The life of Jhalkari Bai was nothing less than normal where she belonged to the untouchable class, however legends have it that this courageous woman have been known to kill a tiger with her axe before she went on to get inducted into the women army of Rani Laxmi Bai.

While the main reason of her not getting the proper notice in the pages of history belongs to the fact that she was not a part of the higher caste, India has been trying to come off the clutches of old time social anomalies and maybe thus, the legend of Jhalkari Bai has come to the fore, and for good!

This brave Dalit woman was said to have been an integral part of the army of Rani Laxmi Bai of Jhansi and is also said to have taken important army decisions of the behalf of the queen too. Legend has it that when the British army attacked the fort of Jhansi all of a sudden, it was Jhalkari Bai who faced the grunge of the enemies dressed like the queen herself, so that the Rani of Jhansi, Laxmi Bai can get to a safe locale and plan the war well.

When the Britishers thought her to be Rani Laxmi Bai and made her give up, she is known to have said strongly the words, “Hang me” which surprised the British authorities.

While the legends and various stories of Jhalkari Bai and her contributions in the 1857 rebellion of freedom fight in India are pretty much famous as well as popular in the  Bundelkhand area since ages, her life, her struggle and the way she disguised herself in front of the British army men are still sung in the various Bundeli folklores.

The bravery and the courage of this simple and lower caste as one may say, Dalit woman showcased at the face of the strong army of British during the turbulent 1857 rebellion time thus needs admiration and adulation. While, her acts of bravery and the way she protected her motherland till her last breath when she was hanged by the Britishers soon after she was arrested on the battlefield, holds her capable of having featured in all the historical stories and evidences, even when she wasn’t a Brahmin like Tantia Tope or maybe Rani Laxmi Bai!

In case you think so, stop at what you are doing, think of a young brave girl coming from the background of the untouchables fighting for our nation and dying as well, don’t you think her deeds need acknowledgement and the light of the day? If yes, spread the word about the Virangana Jhalkari Bai, even though none of our historians earlier have written about, yet as they say- “truth sustains, however much you try and bury it.”

Proud to have women like Jhalkari Bai as an example of a freedom fighter, who gave up her life for her nation, unaffected by the fact that she was just but a Dalit, an untouchable!

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