Dalits Participation in the 1857 Revolt: Mythical Narratives

The Dalits of northern India have an emotional link with the 1857 War of Independence for they believe that it was initiated by them. They claim that the Soldier Revolt by the mostly Dalit Indian soldiers in the British Army that took place in Barrackpore in 1857, snowballed into the War of Independence. In the Majhauwa village of Azamgarh district of UP there are four cemented stones shich are called Shahid Baba by the villagers. The Dalits of this village worship these stones with red powder for their future happiness. On enquiring about the history of these stones, the village school master said that four Chamars of this village laid down their lives during the 1857 rebellion. These four men started appearing in the dreams of the villagers and conveying messages saying that if they prayed to these four martyrs they would all prosper. Since then they have been incarnated as gods in the eyes of the villagers and pray them for happiness and prosperity.

These are examples which show how, in various regions of north India, martyrs of the 1857 rebellion belonging to lower castes have become integral components of the lives of the Dalits living there. This fact is interesting since a perusal of the mainstream academic history of the 1857 revolution shows that the role of the dalits is not even acknowledged in it. But the two examples given above show that they have given god-like status to their own heroes of the 1857 rebellion. Even today in many villages of north India where the revolution was concentrated one can find stories and myths popular among the dalit communities, centering around the 1857 revolt.

The Dalits have an emotional link with the 1857 War of Independence for they believe that it was initiated by them. They claim that the Soldier Revolt by the mostly Dalit Indian soldiers in the British Army that took place in Jhansi in 1857, snowballed into the War of Independence. It was a War of Independence since the Dalits were fighting for their motherland rather than to gain power. The War was led by Bhau Bakshi and Puran Kori and with them was Jhalkaribai who fought bravely against the British for the sake of her motherland.

In this manner, the elite nationalist history has been subverted by the Dalits in their favour. Kuar Singh, Tatya Tope and Nana Saheb do not figure in the Dalit narrative of the 1857 freedom struggle. The people who figure are Jhalkariibai, Udadevi, Avantibai, Mahaviridevi, Pannadhai, Chetram Jatav, Ballu Mehtar, Banke Chamar and Vira Pasi, who were born in the lower stratas of society. Although the elite nationalist heroes are not negated, they are completely ignored. Their emphasis is on the sacrifice of the Dalit martyrs for the nation in spite of their low birth and poor socio-economic status. Their brave confrontation with the British has also been highlighted.

The story of Balluram Mehtar and Chetram Jatav has been described in the following manner: “Although the dalits were born in the lowest caste of the Indian caste hierarchy and suffered great hardship because of their poor socio-economic status, they never sold themselves for their country. No one can accuse a single dalit of doing so. Whenever the need arose, they sacrificed their lives for their motherland. Among the brave sons of the country, the names of Balluram Mehtar and Chetram Jatav are written in shining letters. As soon as the news of the Barrackpore revolution reached the people, a mob of revolutionaries took to the streets. Mr. Phillips, who was an officer of the Eta District, tried to control the mob. On 26 May 1857, in the Soro region of Eta district, Chetram Jatav and Balluram Mehtar joined into the Barrackpore revolution without caring for their lives. In this revolution, Sadashiv Mehre, Chaturbhuj Vaish etc. were also present. Chetram Jatav and Balluram, who were the moving forces behind the revolution, were tied to trees and shot. The rest were hung from trees in the Kasganj area”.