The 185th birth anniversary of Amar Shaheed Vira Pasi: Dalit Freedom Fighter of 1857 Revolt

 

The 185th birth anniversary of Amar Shaheed Vira Pasi

Amar Shaheed Vira Pasi, meaning "Immortal Martyr Vira Pasi," is a revered figure, particularly among the Pasi community in India. He is remembered for his bravery and sacrifice in the fight against British colonial rule. His story is often celebrated during events organized by groups like the Veer Bharat Pasi Trust and Pasi Vikas Sansthan. 

Amar Shaheed Vira Pasi is a great Dalit freedom fighter who is remembered as a brave warrior in the Dalit narrative. He was a security guard of Raja Beni Madhav Singh of Murar Mau, in Rae Bareli, Uttar Pradesh. Raja Beni Madhav Singh was arrested for taking part in the Revolt. One night, Vira Pasi entered the prison and helped the king escape. This was a big insult to the British administration. They decided to capture Vira Pasi dead or alive, and placed a reward of Rs. 50,000 on his head. However, they were unable to capture him.

Another story narrated about their role in the 1857 movement is situated in the village Magarwara, about 10 kilometers from Unnao on the Lucknow highway. They claim that on 20 July 1857 a small battalion of the British army under the leadership of General Henry Havelock was passing through Magarwara to help another battalion that had got stuck in the Residency. Nearly 2,000 Pasis came out of their hamlets and pelted the battalion with stones, which forced them to return to Kanpur Cantonment. On 4 August 1857 the same battalion came to the village, this time with a lot of preparations. When the Pasis of Magarwara tried to stop them from moving forward a battle ensued and nearly 2,000 Pasis were killed.

Yet another story narrated by the Pasis is situated in village Bani on the banks of River Sai, close to Magarwara. This region consisted of many small Pasi hamlets. When the British army passed by this highway it faced a stiff resistance from the Pasis. Angered by this, the British officers asked the Pasis to vacate the area within five minutes. When the Pasis refused, the British announced that they would blow up the hamlets with canons. This caused great alarm. People ran here and there to save themselves and their families but in spite of this many Pasis were killed in the canon firing. The British found this region very salubrious and decided to build a fort where their soldiers, who had faced stiff resistance by the Pasis after leaving Kanpur Cantonment, could rest and restore their vigour. This story is a part of the collective memory and oral tradition of the Pasis of that region and is often presented in plays and songs. The song is:

Bani bani kati bani, ban ke bigri bani Angrezon ke tope se urhi, phir bani rahi bani.
(The village Bani was made, then destroyed, again made and again destroyed; the cannon balls of the British blew it apart, then Bani was once again made and remained Bani.)

The story is further narrated that the next day Gen. Havelock once again moved forward with his troop to free the soldiers trapped in the Residency. Once again he had to face the wrath of Indian freedom fighters, this time at the Alambagh Bhavya Bhawan. Many soldiers, both Indian and British lost their lives in this battle. When the general reached Dilkushabagh, he again had to fight against Indian freedom fighters. These incidents took a toll of British soldiers and drained the energy of Gen. Havelock. He fell ill and finally succumbed to his illness on 24 November 1857. He was buried at the British Cemetary in Alambagh. This story is recorded in a documentation of the contributions of the Pasis in the freedom struggle of the country, from where it is once again transmitted to the oral memory of the Dalits.