Dalit Positionings in the 1857 Rebel

Dalit positioning point to the limits of 1857, and by extension of nationalism. There is a political illegitimacy of 1857 from a certain Dalit perspective. A part of Dalit politics has thus refused to bow down to the more powerful and inclusive categories of nation and nationalism, and have maintained a separate identity, which still has relevance in the lives of Dalits in North India. At the same time, it would only be a partial reading to end here. There were much more complex and contradictory pulls at this time, and the multilayered character of 1857 cannot be denied. Thus remarked M.H. Court, Magistrate and Collector of Allahabad in writing to C. Chester, Commissioner, Allahabad Division in a letter dated 21 July 1857: “The poorer classes particularly amongst the Hindus, are, I believe, indeed, I am certain, at heart favorable to us and would gladly see us confirmed in power but they believe our power is gone and acting on this belief they join in plundering and rebelling against the Government”.

Various scholars have also emphasized the popular and low-caste basis of the revol. Thus, for example, Rudrangshu Mukherjee focuses on Awadh and stresses the mutual dependence between peasantry and talukdars that provided bases for common and united action at this tumultuous juncture. He thus links the seemingly disjointed and contradictory realms of the elite and the common masses. Tapti Roy too regards 1857 as a popular uprising, where sepoys, thakurs and the people came together to resist the British, even though their goals and visions differed. Gautam Bhadra highlights the common leaders of the revolt. Though the attention here is not on the Dalits, the low caste and class basis of the revolt is recognized.

Post-Independence India, particularly of the past three decades, coinciding with the meteoric rise of Dalit movements in North India, has seen a flourishing of popular Hindi Dalit literature, pamphlets and booklets. This literature is mass produced in thousands and sold in large quantities through public rallies and melas of Dalits. Given the imperative political assertions by the Dalits in present times, there has been a need felt to declare and prove the nationalist credentials of the Dalits in a section of this literature. Thus, some popular pamphlets and books on Dalit histories have come out with copious volumes on their contribution and role in the independence movement.