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

THE FALL OF LUCKNOW
the time—in the November of the previous year—when
Sir Colin hurried towards Cawnpore to watch Tatia's
movements, till March, every patriot who was in Lucknow
was trying his best, each in his own way, to protect Luck-
now and destroy the enemy. In honour of the flag of
Swaraj which was floating high in Lucknow, everyone,
from the Rajas to the poverty-stricken peasants, took his
life in his hands and began the fight. Some of these Rajas
and Zemindars had personally and individually lost no-
thing by the advent of English rule; nay, some of them
had actually been benefited by it. But the noble principle
that what cannot benefit the country cannot in the end
benefit individuals, the noble determination not to give
up duty at any time through love of personal gain, the
Rajput feeling that death is preferable to loss of honour,
and the realisation of the truth that there can be no self-
respect, no manhood, without liberty—all these noble
ideas filled and pervaded the aristocracy of Lucknow.
The Zemindars of Lucknow did not rise merely because
they had suffered through the revenue assessment of the
English but because they hated foreign rule! This is not
merely our opinion but the deliberate opinion of the then
Governor-General, as will be seen from the following ex-
tracts: "You seem to think that the Rajas and Zemindars
of Oudh have risen because they have personally suffered
by our land-revenue assessment. But, in the opinion of
the Governor-General, this requires some more thought.
More thorough-going hatred could hardly have been shown
by any feudatories than was shown by the Rajas of
Chanda, Bhinja, and Gonda. Not a single village of the
first of these had been taken by us. Not only that but
even his tribute had been reduced. The second one also
was treated as generously. Of the four hundred villages
of the third, only three had been taken and, in exchange
for that, his tribute had been reduced by ten thousand
Rupees.
"By the change of rulers, no one had gained more than
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