Retracing Bandhu Singh's contribution in 1857 revolution : A subaltern narrative (original) (raw)

The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India against the rule of the British East India Company. After the outbreak of the mutiny in Meerut, the rebels quickly reached the different parts of the country and the rebellion took on the attributes of a patriotic revolt against British oppression. Apart from the many known and glorified leaders, many silent leaders who organized and fought against Britishers at local level remained neglected and disregarded even today in the 75th years of Indian Independence. Bandhu Singh, who was the forerunner of the revolution in Purvanchal during the first freedom struggle of 1857, is one of such brave freedom fighters who has been forgotten for long. Often regarded as Amar Shahid or immortal martyr among the local folks, Bandhu Singh was a guerrilla warrior who fought against the British Raj after being inspired by the great revolutionary Mangal Pandey. Though many post-colonial thinkers including Ania Loomba have found it problematic to pinpoint the exact positionality of such unsung freedom fighters, Prof. Chandrabhushan Ankur argues that Historians did not find much in the documents regarding Bandhu Singh whereas, Prof. Rizvi is of the opinion that unfortunately his contributions could not be recorded. My paper intends to embrace the subaltern narrative of Bandhu Singh's participation in India's freedom struggle as part of the mainstream. This subaltern hero needs to be remembered and embraced by every citizen and these narratives need to move from the periphery to the center.