All of us have grown up hearing about the heroic deeds of Rani Lakshmibai from a very young age. The entire nation salutes her for the contribution she gave to the freedom struggle. She was one among the very few in history who went against society and proved the power of women to the world. Even today a lot of people look up to her for inspiration. The decision made by the Rani to protect her motherland and its people without thinking about her own life was very courageous. While she might not have been able to secure India's independence, she did leave a lasting impression on the masses and inadvertently inspired them to fight for their nation. Her accomplishments are commendable but no one can achieve a great task like this without a strong support system. Rani Laxmi Bai’s people accepted her as their queen and obeyed her orders. She gave rise to the Durga Dal which was the women's army. This article is about the leader of the army, an unsung hero of the freedom struggle of 1857, Jalkhari Bai.
Jalkhari Bai was born in 1830. She was a Dalit. Does this name sound unfamiliar? Dalit was a tribe that was considered of a lower caste due to the prevalence of the caste system during those times. An achievement by a Dalit was always suppressed and not appreciated as much due to major social corruption in those days. On top of all this discrimination was another social barrier- a woman can not lead over men, she cannot fight wars she was only meant to stay at home and run the household. This is why Jalkhari Bai received two folds of discrimination and her name is not as renowned.
Jhalkari Bai was illiterate as woman education was not considered of any importance during those times. She lost her mother at a very young age and was brought up by her father. She was fortunate enough to have a father who believed that girls should be taught to fight for themselves and thus he taught her to use weapons and to ride a horse. She was a very brave woman who had no fear. When she grew older she got married to a soldier in the Jhansi army. Rani Lakshmibai noticed her as she looked very similar to the queen herself. When Rani Lakshmibai found out about her bravery and glorious skills she was elated. She took her in the Durga Dal where Jhalkari Bai received her first formal training in warfare. The revolt of 1857 was a tough time in all of India. Jhansi was also one of the centres of the revolt. The entire Jhansi army including the Durga Dal fought bravely and while they may not have been able to gain independence from the British, it did scare the British and it was the first time they realised that the Indians had the power and strength to throw the Britishers out of the country.
It is said that when the last phase of the war was going on, Jhalkari Bai dressed herself like Rani Lakshmibai and went for the war so that the Rani could take her child to safety. The Britishers captured Jhalkari Bai thinking she was the queen herself. It was only later that they found out the truth and by that time the queen had enough time to make arrangements for her son's protection and also revise the organisation of her army so that they could give a befitting reply to the British.
Jhalkari Bai was undoubtedly a strong woman who was very courageous. It is indeed sad to think that her name was left out of the books of our great warriors just because she was a Dalit woman. So many people have done so much for the country but society could not accept their great contribution because of the social barriers or as they are rightly called the social evils.
Bibliography:
Alok,Nupur. “Jhalkari Bai: The Indian Rebellion Of 1857 And Forgotten Dalit History | #IndianWomenInHistory”feminismindia.com.3 Jan,2021. Web. 16 Jun 2022.
n.a.”India@75: Sadhguru Brings 75 Unsung Heroes of India’s Independence Struggle to Life”india.com.11 May 2022. Web. 17 Jun 2022.
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