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

THE CHAIN OF CAUSES
England might be more than men. None in Maharashtra
had seen these same Gods. It was, therefore, thought
proper that Rango Bapuji, an excellent and loyal man,
should go to England to lay the grievances of Satara before
the 'Home' authorities. Success or no success, the game
was at least, they thought, worth trying. But how long
would they wait, hoping against hope, for the success of
their mission? For how long would Rango Bapuji go on
wearing away the very pavement of Leadenhall Street?
Yes, Rango Bapuji will go on clinging to his impossible
hope till he is mocked at and insulted, till every penny
is spent in feeing English barristers with crores of Rupees
so that he has not money left even for his passage, and
until he receives the insolent reply that they refuse to
give back Satara!
While Rango Bapuji was busy packing for London,
Dalhousie's attention was being absorbed by a new affair;
for, an occasion had risen by which he could weed out the
miserable shrunken shrub of the Raj of Nagpur. Raghoji
Bhonsle, the rightful owner of the Nagpur Gadi, died
suddenly at the age of 47. The Raja of Berar was an ally
of the English Government,⁴ and this very friendship of
the English was the cause of his destruction! Those who
knew that the English hated them were spared but all
those who foolishly believed that the English were their
friends were mercilessly and treacherously involved in
ruin. The kingdom of the Berars was not the English-
man's jahgir, nor was it a feudatory state dependent for its
existence on his sweet will and pleasure. It was an inde-
pendent state on an equality with the Feringhi Sirkar. J.
Sylvian has defied the British Government to show on
what grounds and by what show of justice, either eastern
or western, they could have the right of annexing such a
4 The treaty of 1826 begins as follows :—Treaty of perpetual
friendship between the Honourable East India Company and His
Highness the Maharaja Raghoji Bhonsle, his heirs and successors.
21

THE VOLCANO
Raj, merely because the king died childless. Obviously it
was a game of legerdemain or sleight-of-hand ; one
removes and the other, his accomplice, conceals it quietly !
While the one cuts off the head, the other, his accomplice,
goes on asking loudly by what law he dared commit the
deed—as if murderers and highway robbers need the law
to back them up. In 1853, then Dalhousie at last laid his
murderous knife at the throat of ‘his friend’, showing as
a reason that the Raja had not adopted a successor. Raja
Raghoji had every hope of a child but died suddenly.
Even if he died without a child, the right of adopting
passed at his death to his legal wife. If the English had
not acknowledged at any time previously the heirs adopt-
ed by the queens of deceased Rajas, we should have had
nothing to say. But it remains a fact that the English
had acknowledged the adoption by Daulatrao Scindia's
widow in 1826, the adoption by Junkoji Scindia's widow
in 1836, the adoption by the widow of the Raja of Dhar
in 1834, and the adoption by the queen of Kishengarh in
1841. Not one, not two, but many such adoptions have
the English acknowledged. But we should not forget the
fact that, on those occasions, it was to their advantage
to acknowledge these heirs. In this case, on the other
hand, it was not to their advantage to acknowledge the
adoption by the widow of Raghoji. The real point at
issue, then was one of advantage to the English Govern-
ment, and everything was determined on that issue.
While the Raj of Nagpur was annexed because no adop-
tion took place, the Satara kingdom faced a similar fate
because the adopted heir should not have a right to suc-
ceed to the throne ! Impossible for logic to step in here.
By annexing Nagpur, Dalhousie robbed an extensive
tract of 76,832 sq. miles, with a population of 4,650,000
people and an enormous annual income. While the poor
Ranees were weeping themselves hoarse, a loud knock
came on the palace gate. The door was opened and in
rushed the English troops. Horses were let loose from the
22

THE CHAIN OF CAUSES
stables, elephants—after forcibly pulling down the Ranees
riding on them—were taken to the bazaars for sale, and
silver and gold ornaments were removed from the palace
and were sold by public auction in every street. The
necklace that adorned a queen was lying in the dust of
the bazaars. Elephants were sold for 100 Rupees ! After
this you will hardly be surprised to learn that horses, fed
on richer food than Dalhousie had for his own dinners,
were sold for 20 Rupees and that a pair of horses, on
which the Raja himself used to ride, was sold for 5
Rupees ! Elephants with the howdas on them and horses
with caparisons were sold, but the Ranees still remained
with their jewels. Why not sell the jewels ? So, the
jewels also went the way of other things, and no Ranee
had a single jewel left on her person. But even here the
“friendship” of the English could not stop. So, they
began to dig the floor of the palace ! And, Heavens, in
the very bedroom of the Ranees the Feringhi pickaxe
began its desecrating work ! Reader, start not yet, nor
tremble, for the pickaxe has only started the work, and
will do further deeds, nay, is doing it. For, see you not
it has broken the bedstead of the Queen, and is digging
the very flooring underneath the bed ? And shall we say
it ? All the while the Maharanee Anna Poorna Bai was
on her death-bed, and was even then dying ! While the
Dowager Queen of the great family of the Bhonsles of
Nagpur was on her deathbed, groaning with agony and
for the insult to the throne and the family, in the neigh-
bouring room, in that bed of the Queen, the Feringhi’s
pickaxe was doing its work ! What a terrible accompani-
ment to the groans in the next room ! And why all this ?
Because Raghoji died before adopting a successor ! ⁵
Ranee Anna Poorna Bai died, groaning for the insuffer-
able insults flung at her ancient dynasty. But the hope
of Ranee Banka to get justice from England was not
5. Dalhousie’s Administration, pp. 165-168.
23

THE VOLCANO
yet dead ! This vain hope was at last destroyed, but not
until she had tried the immensely expensive remedy of
feeing English barristers with lakhs of Rupees. And what
did Ranee Banka do then ? She spent the rest of her life
in "loyalty" to the Feringhi ! While the Lightning was
working destruction at Jhansi, Banka, seeing that her
sons were ready to unsheath their swords for Swaraj,
threatened them that, if they did unsheath their swords,
she would herself inform the Feringhis of their designs
and advise the Feringhis to behead them ! ⁶
6. Banka, thy name shall go down to History as Banka the
treacherous.
24

CHAPTER III
NANA SAHIB &
LAKSHMI BAI
BLOW your trumpets loudly now, O Heralds of
History, for soon there are to arrive on the scene
two great heroes ! These are two bright pearls
in the necklace of Mother India. Now, when
dark night has overspread the horizon of the
whole country, these two alone are shining as
luminous stars. They are fiery Akalîs ready to avenge
their country’s unjust wrongs with the last drop of their
blood. They are two martyrs sacrificing their lives for
Country, Religion, and Freedom. They are two witness-
es, sword in hand, to prove that the blood of Hindusthan
that gave birth to Shivaji is not yet dead. They are two
25

THE VOLCANO
noble souls that could entertain in their hearts the grand
and holy ambition of Swaraj. They are two crusaders in
the Holy War, glorious even in their defeat. Therefore,
O readers, stand up in all awe and reverence, for the noble
figures of Nana Sahib Peshwa and the Queen of Jhansi
are coming on the stage of History !
We do not know which to describe more—the splendour
of the mountain tops of Matheran in the holy Maha-
rashtra, or the green, velvet-soft, grassy meadows adorning
the feet of those hills. In the lap of the graceful plateau
below, almost overhung by the sky-reaching peaks of the
Matheran, there nestled a tiny little village called Venu,
heightening the beauty of the already beautiful region.
Among the old and respectable families of Venu, the
family of Madhavrao Narayan Bhatt was the most promi-
nent. Madhavrao and his noble wife Gangabai, though
living in circumstances of domestic poverty, were happy
in the enjoyment of mutual love. In the small house of
this good family, all faces beamed with joy and happi-
ness in 1824, for the good Gangabai had given birth to a
son. That son of Madhavrao and Gangabai was no other
than the Peshwa Nana Sahib, at the very sound of whose
name the Feringhi shudders with fear,—that same Nana
who has made his name immortal in history as a hero
who fought for liberty and for his country.
About the same time, the last Bajirao had abdicated
his throne and was leading a life of retirement on the
banks of Ganges. Many Maratha families had followed
him and, hearing that Bajirao was generous enough to
support them in good state on his pension, many new
families also emigrated thither. Among the latter was
the family of Madhavrao, who went to Brahmavarta in
1827 to seek the generosity of Bajirao. There, the little
son of Madhavrao captivated the heart of Bajirao, and
little Nana Sahib became a great favourite of the whole
Durbar. His spirit even in childhood, his serious mien,
26

NANA SAHIB AND LAKSHMI BAI
and his intelligence made a deep impression upon Bajirao,
who eventually resolved to adopt him. On the 7th
of June, 1827, Bajirao formally placed him on his
lap and adopted him. At this time Nana was
only two-and-a-half years old. In this manner, the
child born in the village of Venu became, by a
stroke of luck, the heir presumptive to the throne
of the Peshwas !
It was no doubt a great good fortune to be made heir
to the seat of the Peshwas of the Mahratta Empire. But,
O brilliant Prince, do you realise the great responsibility
accompanying this good fortune ? The throne of the
Peshwas is not an ordinary thing ! It was on this that
the great Baji sat and ruled an Empire. It was for this
that the battle of Paniput was fought. On this have
been poured the sacred waters of the Sindhu for the
anointing of generations of Peshwas ; on this the treaty
of Wargaon had been made and, most important of all,
on this is to come, or why, already has come, the conta-
minating touch of slavery. Do you realise all this ? To
be the heir to a throne is to undertake, to guarantee, the
protection and dignity of that throne. Then will you or
will you not guard the dignity of the Peshwa throne ?
Either the Gadi should be adorned with the crown of
victory, or it should be burnt in a brilliant pyre of glory,
like the proud women of Chitore ! There is no third way
of saving the glory of the Peshwa's throne ! O brilliant
Prince ! Think of this terrible responsibility, and then sit
on the Gadi of the Peshwas ! Since your father gave
reason for the taunt that the Peshwa's Gadi surrendered,
the whole of Maharashtra has became black with shame,
and all desire that if the Gadi is to end after all, it should
end even as it began—that if it is to die, it should die
fighting ! Sit proudly on that Gadi, O young Nana, so
that History may say with pride that the Gadi, whose
first Peshwa was Balaji Vishvanath, had for its last occu-
pant Nana Sahib !
27

THE VOLCANO
At about the same time in sacred Varanasi, there lived
in the retinue of Chimnaji Appa Peshwa, Moropant
Tambe and his wife Bhagirathi Bai. Little did the couple
know at the time that their name would become immortal
in History ! This couple, which had the good fortune of
giving birth to a daughter who was to be a veritable flash-
ing sword in the hands of Hindusthan, this couple hardly
understood its good fortune. Do the thorny branches know
that, in the spring, a rose, delighting all with its fragrance,
would spring forth from out of them ! But though the
branches knew it not, still, as soon as the spring time of
Hindusthan came, the flower did come forth ! It was in
1835 that Bhagirathi gave birth to the heroine, Ranee
Lakshmi Bai. This brave woman's name in youth was
Manu Bai.
When Manu was hardly three or four years old, the
whole family left Benares and went to the court of Baji-
rao at Brahmavarta. There she was so much liked by all
the people that they called her "Chabeli". Prince Nana
Sahib and the sweet Chabeli ! When two such children
braced each other in childish affection, what a sight must
it have been to the people of Brahmavarta ! What eyes
would not glisten with joy to see Prince Nana Sahib and
the Chabeli playing together in the armoury and learning
their lessons in sword-play—lessons which they were
destined to use in later life for the defence of their country
and their religion ? How limited, indeed, is the vision
of man ! When Nana Sahib and Lakshmi Bai were learn-
ing sword-play together, the spectators did not see the
future glory of these brilliant children, and now those
who do see their glory, have no longer the good fortune
to see those children's games of the past ! Still, if, to
remove the short-sightedness of these eyes of flesh, we put
on the spectacles of imagination, then we can easily see
those games of the past. While Nana Sahib and Rao
Sahib (his cousin) were learning their lessons under their
tutor, this Chabeli too would closely watch them, and
28

NANA SAHIB AND LAKSHMI BAI
thus she learned to read, though stumbling often. Nana
Sahib would be sitting in howdah on an elephant and the
sweet child would affectionately call up to him, "Won't
you take me too?" ¹ Sometimes Nana would lift her up,
and both would learn to ride the magnificent animal.
Sometimes Nana would be on a horse and wait for
Lakshmi to come and join him; just then she would come
up galloping with a sword at her side, with her hair slight-
ly dishevelled by the wind, and her fair complexion
becoming ruddier by her efforts to curb the spirited horse.
And both would start away at a smart pace. At this time,
Nana was eighteen years old and Lakshmi Bai was seven;
what a pleasant memory to us that the heroine should
have started her training for the holy war at the age of
seven? These two jewels were extremely fond of each
other from their earliest childhood. In Brahmavarta, at
that time, were being brought up three of the most im-
portant characters of the Revolutionary War of 1857,
Nana Sahib, Queen Lakshmi Bai, and Tatya Tope. It is
said, that on every festival of Yamadvitiya, these two,
Nana Sahib and Lakshmi Bai—historical brother and
sister—used to perform the ceremony of Bhaubij. We can
well picture to ourselves the sweet attractive spirited
Chabeli, with a golden dish and with lamps in her hand,
performing the ceremony. Such occasions when a
Lakshmi Bai is waving the sacred lamp round the face of
a Nana Sahib, such occasions make history more romantic
than romance!
In the early life of Nana Sahib and Manu Bai, we have
the key to their future greatness. Their flesh and blood,
even in early childhood, had been permeated by the
love of Swaraj and a noble sense of self-respect and
pride of ancestry. In 1842, the Chabeli was given in
marriage to Maharaja Gangadhar Rao Baba Sahib of
Jhansi, and thus became Maharani Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi.

1. Pârasnis's Life of the Queen of Jhansi.
   29

THE VOLCANO
She was extremely popular at the Court of that place and
gained the affection and devoted loyalty of all her subjects,
as the later part of this history will show.
In 1851, the Peshwa Bajirao II died. Let not a single
tear be shed for his death ! For, after losing his own
kingdom in 1818, this blot in the escutcheon of the
Peshwas spent his time in helping to ruin the kingdoms
of other kings ! He saved considerably on the pension of
eight lakhs of Rupees allowed to him by the Company's
Government, and invested it in the notes of the Company.
Later, when the English went to war with Afghanistan,
he helped them with a loan of fifty lakhs out of his
savings. Soon after, the English went to war with the
Sikh nation of the Panjab. And all were in hopes, and
the English in fears, that the Mahratta at Brahmavarta
would make common cause with the Sikh Misals against
the English power. When almost the whole of India was
fighting against Aurangzeb, Shri Guru Govind Singh, after
a defeat in the Panjab, had come into the Maharashtra,
it is said, to enter into an active alliance with the Mah-
rattas. Now it seemed that the Mahrattas would go into
Northern India on a similar mission, and perform the
unfulfilled promises of the alliance. But Baji spoiled the
sport at the eleventh hour. This Baji—this Peshwa of
Shivaji and his descendants—spent money out of his own
pocket and sent one thousand infantry and one thousand
cavalry to the assistance of the English ! This
Bajirao had not troops to protect his own Shanwar
Wada, but he could spare troops enough to help the enemy
to desecrate the house of Guru Govind Singh ! O un-
fortunate nation ! The Mahrattas should take the
kingdom of the Sikhs and the Sikhs should take the
kingdom of the Mahrattas—and all this for what ?
In order that the English might dance in joy over
the corpses of both. We have rather to thank the
God of Death that such a traitor—this Baji—died
before 1857.
30

NANA SAHIB AND LAKSHMI BAI
Before his death, Baji Rao made a will by which he be-
queathed all the rights of succession and powers of the
Peshwa to his adopted son Nana Sahib. But immediately
on the news of Baji Rao's death, the English Government
announced that Nana Sahib had no right whatsoever to
the pension of eight lakhs. What must have Nana Sahib
thought on hearing this decision of the English? The
conflict of passions in his heart is portrayed to some
extent in the despatch written under his direction. It
says : " It is simply unjust that the high family of the
Peshwa should be treated by the Company so lightly as
this. When our throne and kingdom were handed over to
the Company by Shrimant Bajirao, it was done so on the
condition that the Company should pay eight lakhs of
Rupees every year, as its price. If this pension is not to
last for ever, how can the surrender of the kingdom,
which was given as a consideration for this pension, last
for ever in your hands? That one party alone should be
bound by the contract, while the other intentionally fails
to do its part is absurd, unjust, and inconsistent.” ² Then
follows a clear and well reasoned passage refuting the
theory that he, being an adopted son, cannot get his
father's rights, citing authorities from Hindu Shastras,
from rules of politics and customary law. After that, the
despatch of Nana Sahib continues :—" The Company puts
forward another excuse to cease to pay the pension,
namely that Bajirao II has saved a considerable sum
which is quite sufficient to defray the expenses of his
family. But the Company forgets that the pension was
given as a condition of the treaty, and there is no single
clause in the treaty directing the mode in which the pen-
sion should be spent. The pension is the price of the
kingdom given, and Bajirao would have been justified
had he saved even the whole of the pension! We ask the
Company whether they have got the least right to question
the manner in which the pension is expended? Nay, can
2. Nana's Claims against the East India Company.
31

THE VOLCANO
the Company ask even its own servants as to how they
spend their pensions or what they save out of it ? But it
is strange that a question, which the Company dare not
ask even of its own servants, is raised in the case of the
heir to a royal dynasty, and is made the pretence to break
a treaty." With this argumentative and spirited des-
patch, Nana's faithful ambassador, Azimullah Khan,
left for England.
Of the important characters in the Revolutionary War
of 1857, the name of Azimullah Khan is one of the
most memorable. Among the keen intellects and minds
that first conceived the idea of the War of Independence,
Azimullah must be given a prominent place. And among
the many plans by which the various phases of the Revo-
lution were developed, the plans of Azimullah deserve
special notice.
Azimullah was very poor by birth. He rose gradually
on the strength of his own merits, and at last became the
trusted adviser of Nana Sahib. His early poverty was
such that he served as a waiter in the household of an
Englishman. Even while in such a low state, the fire of
ambition was always burning in his heart. He took ad-
vantage of his profession as a Baberchi in order to learn
foreign languages, and in a short time he had learned to
speak English and French with fluency. After acquiring
a knowledge of both these languages, Azimullah left the
service of the Feringhis and began to study in a school at
Cawnpore. By his extraordinary ability, he soon became
a teacher at the self-same school. While still serving as
a teacher in the Government school at Cawnpore, his
reputation as an able scholar reached the ears of Nana
Sahib, and he was introduced at the Brahmavarta Durbar.
Once, at the Durbar, his wise counsels were appreciated
and valued by Nana Sahib, who would take no important
step without first consulting Azimullah. In 1854, he was
made the chief representative of Nana Sahib and sent to
32

Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi was only eighteen years of
age when the responsibilities of the State fell on her
shoulders on the death of her husband Gangadhar Rao.
Filled with deep resentment at the conduct of the British
authorities in annexing the State of Jhansi, and at the many
wrongs done to her later, the Rani openly declared before
the British Resident that she would "never give up Jhansi".
Then, at the first call of the War of Indian Independence in
1857, against the British, she took to horse, and, for months
in male attire, headed bands, squadrons and at length the
formidable corps of the Mahrattas, until she became, in her
way, another Joan of Arc to her frenzied and fierce follo-
wers. It was admitted by the British that her unbounded
liberality to her troops, and her fortitude which no reverses
could shake, rendered her an influential and dangerous
adversary.
A rare picture of RANI LAKSHMIBAI by a court-artist at
Jhansi showing her before she became a widow.
THE WARRIOR RANI LAKSHMIBAI OF JHANSI
From an old painting
"She was the bravest and best man on the side of the Mutineers."
— Sir Huge Rose

This page is blank and contains no text to transcribe.

NANA SAHIB AND LAKSHMI BAI
England. His face was noble, his speech sweet and silvery.
Knowing very well the customs and manners of contem-
porary English life, he soon became very popular among
Londoners. Attracted by his pleasant and silvery voice,
his spirited mien and Oriental magnificence, several young
English women fell in love with Azimullah. There used
to be a crowd, in those days, in the parks of London and
on the beach at Brighton, to see this jewelled Indian
"Raja". Some English women of respectable families
were so much infatuated with him that, even after his
return to India, they would send him letters couched in
the most affectionate terms. When, later, Havelock's
army captured Brahmavarta, he saw there the original
letters written by some English ladies to their "Darling
Azimullah!"
But though English women were captivated by Azimullah,
still the East India Company would not leave their
stern attitude. They put him off for some time with
beguiling words, and at last gave the stereotyped answer,
"We entirely approve of the decision of the Governor-
General that the adopted son of Bajirao has no claim
whatever to his father's pension." Thus, as regards the
principal object of his mission he was disappointed, in a
way. We say "in a way"; because at this very moment,
a new inspiration, a new hope, was rising in his heart.
There was no necessity of any foreigner's consent to realise
this hope, but it depended for its realisation on his own
country and countrymen! How to get the consent of his
own men? How to acquire the independence of his coun-
try by force when it could not be acquired by Sâma, Dâna,
or Bhêda (conciliation, money, or division)? These
thoughts breathed a new hope and a new life into Azim-
ullah's heart.
At this self-same moment, right in the heart of Lon-
don, a Brahmin was sitting, brooding over the means for
the attainment of that which he was unable to obtain by
33
3

THE VOLCANO
petition or by prayer and his heart, filled with vengeance
born of despair, was planning dozens of schemes for the
attainment of his object. This was Rango Bapuji of
Satara. Azimullah, the representative of the Peshwa, used
often to visit him, and they both used to hold secret con-
sultations. Leaving these two—one, the representative of
the Chhatrapati of Satara himself, and the other, the
representative of the Prime Minister of the Chhatrapati
—to the quiet and secret solution of the problem of saving
the Hindu Empire, let us turn our attention to the
activities of Nana Sahib.
Fortunate will be the day when a complete and syste-
matic history of the life of Shrimant Nana Sahib Peshwa
will be before the world. Meanwhile, until such a day
arrives, it would not be out of place to recount in brief
some of the details of his life about this period, as pub-
lished by the English historians, bitter enemies of Nana
Sahib as they are. We have already related incidentally
the story of his youth. He had married a cousin of the
chief of Sangli. While in the north, in 1857, the Revolu-
tion was being resolved upon, this relation of Nana Sahib
was making strenuous efforts to achieve the same end in
Maharashtra by working in the Patwardhan State. Nana
had made Brahmavarta his home after the demise of his
father. This city was in itself very beautiful, while the
sacred Bhagirathi which flowed close to the city walls
greatly added to its beauty. The palace of Nana com-
manded a most charming view ; before him stretched the
quiet waters of the Bhagirathi ; the banks were cheerfully
alive with throngs of men and women ; and beautiful
temples of famed architecture raised their cupolas all along
the banks. The Palace of the Peshwa was a grand struc-
ture. Its political, administrative, and other offices, and
the large shops and well-kept roads inside the gates, amply
testified to the activities within the palace. The many
extensive halls within this palace were decorated with rich
carpets and gorgeous tapestries. Most valuable china
34

NANA SAHIB AND LAKSHMI BAI
selected with faultless taste, magnificent candelabra
studded with diamonds, beautifully carved mirrors, carved
ivory of finest workmanship, gold art works richly set with
diamonds, in short, all the luxury and taste and splendour
of the Hindu palace were to be seen there.³ The steeds
and camels of Shrimant Nana Saheb were caparisoned in
silver. Nana’s fondness for horses was well known, and
it is said that none could excel either him or Lakshmi Bai
in horsemanship. His stables were a fine collection of
splendid breeds. His special hobby was animals, and
people even from far-off parts used to come to Brahma-
varta, to see his deer and his gazelles brought from various
parts of India, his camels, and his pointers. Yet, be it
noted that, above all things, it was on his splendid col-
lection of arms that Shrimant prided himself most. It
included arms of all kinds and for all purposes,—swords
of best-tempered steel, modern long-range rifles, and big
guns of various sizes.
Immensely proud of his high birth and conscious of
his noble ancestry, Nana had quietly made up his mind
that he would either live as became that noble parentage,
or pass away from memory altogether. It is a significant
fact, that in the main hall and in a prominent place were
hung the portraits of those great and capable men who
had adorned Mahratta history.⁴ What did those faces
speak to him? What did the portrait of Chhatrapati
Shivaji say to him? What a tumult of feelings must have
arisen in his mind when he saw Baji Rao I, the Bhao of
Panipat, the youthful and regal Viswas, the wise Madhava,
and statesman Nana Farnavis, in the portraits before
him! The very consciousness that he was born in a
family which could boast of such great names, must have
been constantly impelling him to, what thoughts? Nana,
3. See Thomson’s Cawnpore. Peculiar importance attaches to
this man and his book owing to the fact that he was one of the
two men who survived the massacre at Cawnpore.
4. Charles Ball’s Indian Mutiny, Vol. I, page 304.
35

THE VOLCANO
there is no doubt, must have felt, and felt terribly, the
woeful humiliation of petitioning to his enemies for a
pension for that Empire, of which his ancestors were the
Prime Ministers, nay, rulers. The stories of the noble
deeds of the great Shivaji, whose memory he fondly
cherished, must, without doubt, have set ablaze in his
heart the flames of anger and vengeance. A Sanskrit
proverb says, "The honourable prefer death to dis-
honour," and Nana was above all honourable. Generous
as a prince, pride was his greatest wealth—as it always
is of the brave. Hence he could not bear the idea of
accepting any invitation from the European officers about
him. For was he not, as the Peshwa, entitled to the
salute of guns, which the Company was not willing to
fire in his honour? He was serious constitutionally and
his habits were simple. He had not a trace of extravagant
habits or vices.⁵ An Englishman who had observed him
closely on many occasions says that, at the time he saw
him, he was really about twenty-eight years of age, but
he looked forty. "He was inclined to embonapoint; his
face was round; his eyes, restless like those of a tiger,
were piercing and of great lustre; his complexion was like
that of any Spaniard; his conversation was characterised
by a touch of humour."⁶ In the Durbar, he was dressed
in kinkhabs. Englishmen used to admire the jewellery he
displayed about his person and his crowns studded with
diamonds. His generous and sympathetic heart, had
effectually won the love of his subjects. His kindness to
his subjects would be quite natural, but it is significant
that Shrimant was habitually generous even towards those
very English people, who, turning ungrateful, had depriv-
ed him of his all. If any youthful English couple wanted
change of air, the rich equipage of Maharaja Nana Sahib
was ready at their service. Many a "Sahib", tired of
5. "A quiet and unostentatious young man not at all addicted
to any extravagant habits."—Sir John Kaye.
6. Trevelyan's Cawnpore, pages 68-69.
36

NANA SAHIB AND LAKSHMI BAI
living in Cawnpore, used to pay a visit with his "mem-
sahib" to the town of Maharaja Nana Sahib, and
presents of rich shawls and valuable pearls and diamonds
were made to them on the occasion of their leaving
Brahmavarta.⁷ It may be seen clearly from this that the
poison of individual hatred never touched the noble soul
of Nana. The elevated and heroic ideal, of generously
treating those very enemies with social courtesy and
obligation, whom, on the battlefield, you would remorse-
lessly destroy, has again and again been celebrated in the
epics and histories of Hindusthan. The Rajput heroes
used to treat their bitterest enemies with splendid genero-
sity. Be it noted, therefore, in this connection, that there
was considerable cordiality between Nana and the Eng-
lish at this time.⁸ As long as they could feast at the palace
of the Shrimant, the English officers and their wives were
heaping friendly praise upon him, but as soon as he lifted
the Sword of righteousness in the cause of Swaraj and
Swadesh on the battlefield of Cawnpore, what ignominy
and what low abuse they heaped on him !
Shrimant was well educated, and had the refinement
of culture. He took great interest in politics and political
affairs. He used to watch and closely study the ever-
changing affairs of great nations, and for that purpose
would closely follow the English press. He used to have
the daily papers read to him every morning by Mr. Tod,
an Englishman afterwards massacred at Cawnpore. He
thus was able to observe, with his lynx-eye, all the political
changes in England and in India. When heated discus-
sions were taking place over the question of annexing
7. Trevelyan's Cawnpore, pp. 68-69.
8. 'Nothing could exceed the cordiality which he constantly
displayed in his intercourse with our countrymen. The persons in
authority placed an implicit confidence in his friendliness and good
faith, and the ensigns emphatically pronounced him a capital fellow."
—Trevelyan's Cawnpore.
37

THE VOLCANO
Oudh, Nana was of opinion that that act would inevit-
ably force on a war.⁹
As this description is compiled from the histories written
by Nana's enemies, it is to be noted that those virtues
which his enemies ascribe to him must have been a
distinct feature in his character. For it cannot be ex-
pected that English historians, with their terrible hatred
for Nana, could acknowledge willingly his eminent virtues
except where absolutely necessary. The tardy acknow-
ledgment of such virtues is the more significant, as after
this slight confession of truth, these very historians have
wreaked to the full their devilish vengeance on Nana for
having leaped forth into the battlefield. The poisonous
pen of English historians has taken a fiendish delight in
calling him a " badmash ", a " high way robber ", a
" fiend ", and " Satan ", and has been heaping upon him
low, vulgar, and dishonest abuse. But even if all this
abuse was deserved, still the single fact, that Nana fought
for Swarajya and bled for Swadesh, is sufficient to esta-
blish his loving memory in the heart of us Indians. It
was essentially necessary that the whole world should
realise the fact that a grand and terrible vengeance is
visited sooner or later on those who dare to commit the
sin of depriving Hindusthan of Independence. Nana was
the incarnation of vengeance of the land of Hind ! Nana
was the Narasimha Mantra of this land ! Yes ; this one
fact will impress Nana's memory on the tablet of our
hearts ! Yet with this particular merit of Nana, when one
further remembers the individual instances of his genero-
sity, his pride of birth, and above all his noble and
patriotic heart, one's head bows in loving adoration of
that grand personality ; and then rises before one's mind's
eye the fair and noble form of Nana, with his huge
strength, crown on his head, his bright and alert eyes red
with injured pride, the sword (worth three lakhs of
9. Charles Ball's Indian Mutiny, Vol. I, p. 304.
38