– Prahlad Bharti
Krantiveer Tatya Tope, the great hero of the first Independence War of unbroken India, known for his bravery, valor and strategy in the country’s freedom struggle against the British rule, was born on 1814 at Yevla village to mother Rukmini Bai and father Pandurangrao Bhatt Yevlekar. Tatya’s family came to Bithoor in 1818 along with Nana Saheb Peshwa. Tatya Tope along with Nana Saheb Peshwa had a major contribution in organizing a nationwide campaign against the tricks being played against India and Indians by the British at every step. This campaign started long before the war of 1857 and continued uninterrupted till the death of Tatya Tope. In the revolution of 1857, Tatya Tope continued the freedom struggle till his martyrdom by adopting the ‘guerrilla warfare’ (guerrilla warfare style) started by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
The adventures and conquests of Tatya Tope are no less exciting than the adventures and conquests of Rani Lakshmibai. While Rani Lakshmi Bai’s war campaigns were confined to the regions of Jhansi, Kalpi and Gwalior, Tatya Tope spread from Kanpur to Rajputana and Central India like a vast kingdom. If Colonel Hurose, who was the surveyor of the Central India War Campaign, had praised Rani Lakshmibai as ‘the best of them all’, then in a letter to Major Mead, he had said about Tatya Tope – ‘ He was very revolutionary in nature among the politicians of India’s war of independence and his organizing ability was also praiseworthy.
Tatya Tope shook the foundations of the mighty British rule with more power and might than all the revolutionary leaders of the freedom movement of that time. He continued a prolonged struggle with the enemy. When all the leaders of the freedom struggle were defeated one by one by the superior military power of the British, even in that situation, Tatya Tope alone kept hoisting the flag of revolution. For nine consecutive months, he eluded half a dozen British commanders who were trying to capture him. He remained unbeatable. They kept chewing gram on the noses of the British generals. For example, the history from Alwar in the north to Nayapura in the south and from Udaipur in the west to Sagar in the east.
The correspondent of the Bombay Times newspaper met Tatya Tope after his arrest and wrote in the edition of 18 April 1859 – ‘Tatya is neither beautiful nor ugly. But he is intelligent. His nature is calm and uninteresting. He has good health and average height. He had good knowledge of Marathi, Urdu and Gujarati. He could speak these languages fluently. He spoke haltingly, but clearly, in a measured style. But his manner of expression was good and he used to attract the listeners towards him. It is true that Tatya, with his power of speech and his power of persuasion, often persuaded even the armies of his opponents to join his side.
Tatya Tope was betrayed in the forest of Padaun. Raja Man Singh sided with the British and because of his treachery, Tatya Tope was captured in his sleep on April 08, 1859. No one could catch Ranbankure Tatya awake. On April 15, 1859, Tatya was court-martialled at Shivpuri on charges of rebellion and fighting a war against the British. All the members of the court martial were Englishmen. The result was obvious, he was sentenced to death. He was kept closed for three days in the fort of Shivpuri. On April 18, 1859, at five o’clock in the evening, Tatya was brought out under the protection of the British company and hanged in the open ground in the presence of thousands of people. It is said that Tatya climbed up the gallows with firm steps and strangled himself in the noose. Thus Tatya Tope became an integral part of the soil of Madhya Pradesh and Shivpuri district.
Colonel Moulson wrote the history of the revolution of 1857 in 1859. He has written that- ‘Tatya Tope has become the ‘hero’ of the residents of the Chambal river, Narmada river and Parvati river valleys. The truth is that Tatya has become the ‘hero’ of the whole of India. An Englishman named Percycras has written – ‘Tatya was the leader of the most intense mind in the war of freedom movement in the summer of 1857 before India’s independence. Had there been some more people like him, India could have been snatched from the hands of the British. Not only friends but also enemies used to watch and understand Tatya Tope’s military operations with curiosity and eagerness. Even his opponents used to praise him. Colonel Malson has said about him, ‘Tatya Tope was the best of all the military leaders produced in India at that moment of crisis.’ Sir George Forrest has called him ‘the quintessential national leader’. The modern English historian Percycras Stading has honored him by calling him the ‘giant mind’ produced by the native side during the military revolution. Persikas has also written about him- ‘Tatya Tope was one of the famous guerilla leaders of the world.’
(The author is a freelance commentator.)
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