१८५७ का स्वातन्त्र्य समर (वीर विनायक दामोदर सावरकर - अंग्रेजों द्वारा छपने से पूर्व प्रतिबन्धित महाग्रन्थ)

SWADHARMA & SWARAJ
tion of 1857 is the other device of English historians copied
by their Indian sycophants,—the device, namely, of
describing the rumour as to the greased cartridges as the
moving cause of the Revolution. An Indian writer¹
drawing inspiration from English history and English
money says, “Foolish people went mad simply at the
rumour that cartridges were greased with cows’ and pigs’
fat. Did anyone inquire as to whether the report was true?
One man said and another believed; because the second
became disaffected, a third joined him, and so like a pro-
cession of blind men, a company of inconsiderate fools
arose, and rebellion broke out.” We propose to discuss
later on whether people blindly believed the rumour about
cartridges. But it will be plain to anyone who has read
even the English historians closely and thought about the
matter, that a great attempt has been made to father all
the responsibility of the Revolution on this rumour. It
is not surprising that to one, who thinks that a mighty
rising like that of '57 can be produced by such trifles, it
was only ‘a company of inconsiderate fools.’ If the
Revolution had been due only to the cartridges, why did
Nana Sahib, the Emperor of Delhi, the Queen of Jhansi,
and Khan Bahadur Khan of Rohilkhand join it? These
were not surely going to serve in the English army, nor
were they compelled to break the cartridges with their
teeth! If the rising were due wholly or chiefly to the
cartridges, it would have stopped suddenly as soon as the
English Governor-General issued a proclamation that they
should not be used any more! He gave them permission
to make cartridges with their own hand. But instead of
doing so, or ending the whole by leaving the Company’s
service altogether, the sepoys rose to fight in battle. Not
only the sepoys but thousands of peaceful citizens and
Rajas and Maharajas also rose, who had no direct or
indirect connection with the army. It is therefore clear
that it was not these accidental things that roused the

1. वि. कों. ओक “शिपायांचें बंड”.
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