CAIE Instructions for the Role play

Grade 7 History Volume 4

Instructions for role-play on the 1857 mutiny

Read the information given below and design a role play.

 Identify the main characters

 Create a script; you can take the help of you English teacher.
 Present the re-enactment as a narrative, with a narrator enacting scenes or present it such a manner that
inspires the audience to ask questions. You can also present the re-enact with two different ending and
leave it to the audience to decide which is appropriate.
 Keep the role play short and to the point.
 Allot 20 mins for the role play
 The information given below to facilitate understanding of the topic, choose only those relevant to the
topic.
 Inform teacher about the class set up for the role play.

Points to Consider
 What was the event?
 When did it take place?
 Where did it take place?
 Who was responsible?
 What was the impact?

Reference
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/285821/Indian-Mutiny
http://www.sdstate.edu/projectsouthasia/Resources/upload/The-Rebellion-of-1857-Streets.pdf
http://www.britishempire.co.uk/forces/armycampaigns/indiancampaigns/mutiny/mutiny.htm
http://www.pbs.org/thestoryofindia/gallery/photos/21.html#british_raj

1857 a mutiny or a war of independence

One hundred years after the Battle of Plassey in 1757, the smouldering ember of resentment and anger
against the unjust, exploitative and oppressive British government exploded into flames and shook the very
foundations of British rule in India. British historians called it the 'Sepoy Mutiny'; Indian historians refer to it
as the 'Great Revolt of 1857' or the 'First War of Indian Independence".

CAUSES OF THE REVOLT

Political Causes
Aggressive expansionist policy of Lord Dalhousie caused widespread resentment among the Indian rulers
and their subjects. Dalhousie unjustly annexed several Indian states to fulfil his objective of extinction of all
native states.
 Dalhousie annexed the states of Satara, Nagpur and Jhansi by applying the Doctrine of Lapse. The
annexation transformed the courageous Rani into a staunch enemy of the British.
 Nana Saheb, the adopted son of Peshwa Baji Rao II (pensioner of the British), was denied a pension after
his father's death. Nana Saheb became one of the leaders of the Revolt.
 Bahadur Shah Zafar, the Mughal emperor, lived in Delhi as a pensioner of the British.
Dalhousie announced that Bahadur's successor would not be allowed to stay on in the historic Red Fort. He
would have to move to a place near the Qutb Minar, on the outskirts of Delhi. This was a great blow to the
dignity of the Mughal emperor and deeply hurt the sentiments of the Muslims.
 The annexation of Awadh, on grounds of mal-administration outraged the people. Awadh had always been
a friendly, faithful and a subordinate ally. The Nawab of Awadh was exiled to Calcutta.
 The British showed scant respect for the treaties they had signed with the Indian rulers.

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CAIE Instructions for the Role play
Grade 7 History Volume 4

 Treaties were broken whenever it suited them to do so. This created a sense of fear and insecurity among
the rulers of subordinate states. The axe could fall on them anywhere, at any time.

Economic Causes
The policy of economic exploitation by the British and the complete destruction of the traditional economic
structure caused widespread resentment among all sections of society.
 The land revenue system, introduced by the British, caused great hardship and misery among the
peasants. Under the zamindari system, for instance, the peasants were oppressed by the zamindars and
exploited by the moneylenders. If the cultivators failed to pay the land revenue to the zamindars or return
the loans to the moneylenders on time, they were often flogged, tortured or jailed. The impoverishment of
the peasantry led to numerous famines.
 Landlords also suffered from a sense of insecurity. Thousands of jagirs were confiscated by Bentinck and
Dalhousie when they were unable to produce written title deeds of ownership.
Example - When Awadh was annexed, the estates of the zamindars and talukdars were confiscated by the
British. They became sworn enemies of British rule.
 The interests of the Indian economy were sacrificed for the interests of British trade and industry. This led
to the utter collapse of traditional handicraft industries. Nothing was done by the government to develop
modern Indian industries. Indian artisans and craftspersons were ruined.
 The annexation of Indian states was followed by large-scale unemployment and economic distress. When
Awadh was annexed, the administration was replaced by Company administration. As such, hundreds lost
their means of livelihood. Poets, musicians, artists and artisans dependent on royal patronage also lost their
jobs.

Social and Religious Causes

The establishment of British rule in India was accompanied by the spread of Western culture. People were
disturbed by the rapid spread of an alien civilization, which they considered to be a threat to Indian society
and culture. Several measures adopted by the British government alarmed and enraged the people.
 Social reforms such as the abolition of sati, and female infanticide, the Widow Remarriage Act and the
introduction of women's education caused deep resentment among the orthodox sections of society. They
interpreted these measures as deliberate attempts by the British to destroy the sanctity of their religion and
social customs.
 The efforts of the missionaries to convert people to Christianity caused great alarm. Some of the
missionaries ridiculed the religious beliefs and practices of the Hindus and Muslims in their effort to convert
people to their faith. This hurt the religious sentiments of the people.
 The introduction of Western education undermined the position and importance of the pundits and the
maulvis and was seen as an attack on ancient traditions and values. The office of the Inspector of Schools in
Patna was referred to as the 'shaitane daftar' (devils office).
 The introduction of the railways and posts and telegraphs aroused grave doubts and fears, especially
among the simple, backward villagers. They thought that the telegraph system was a form of Western magic.
They grew fearful of the intentions of the British.
 The British judicial system introduced the principle of equality. This was regarded as a threat to the
existing caste norms and privileges of the upper classes.
 The British looked down upon the Indians and followed a policy of racial discrimination. They made no
effort to interact socially with the Indians. They were convinced of the superiority of the European race and
treated the Indians with great contempt.

Military Causes
The Revolt of 1857 started as a mutiny of the sepoys in the Company's army. The sepoys had, over the years,
helped the Company to conquer India with dedication and loyalty. By the middle of the 19th century,
however, there was growing disaffection among the sepoys, especially within the ranks of the upper-caste
Hindus (Rajputs and Brahmins). The sepoys had numerous grievances:

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CAIE Instructions for the Role play
Grade 7 History Volume 4

 The sepoys had helped the British to establish their empire in India, but they neither were neither
appreciated nor rewarded for their efforts. On the contrary, they were treated with great contempt by the
British officers.
 There was grave discrimination between the Indian sepoy and his British counterpart. A capable and
dedicated sepoy could not rise above the post of Subedar.
 An Indian soldier was paid much less salary than his British counterpart. Lodging and boarding facilities for
the sepoys were also far inferior to that of a British soldier.
 Many of the senior British officers were old and incompetent men who could not command the respect of
the Indian soldiers.
 In 1856, an Act was passed which made it compulsory for all new recruits to serve overseas if required.
This hurt the sentiments of the Hindus because they believed that overseas travel would lead to a loss of
caste. The sepoys interpreted the regulation as another attack on their caste and religion.
 After the annexation of Awadh, the Nawab's army was disbanded. The soldiers lost their means of
livelihood and their bitterness against the British increased.

The Indian soldiers greatly outnumbered the British soldiers. In 1856, the number of sepoys in the British
army was more than five times that of the British soldiers. This emboldened the sepoys to take up arms
against their foreign masters.

Immediate Cause of the Revolt

By 1857, the country was seething with discontent. All that was needed was a spark to trigger off an
explosion. The issue of the greased cartridges provided the spark. The British had introduced a new rifle
known as the Enfield Rifle, in the army. The cartridge had a greased paper cover, which had to be bitten off
before loading the rifle.

In January 1857, a rumour started at the Dum Dum cantonment (in Calcutta) that the cartridges were
greased with cow fat and pig fat. The rumour spread like wildfire among the Hindu and Muslim sepoys. They
were convinced that the government was deliberately trying to defile their religion. A wave of indignation
and anger swept through all the military stations.

On 29 March 1857, Mangal Pandey, a sepoy at Barrackpore refused to use the cartridge and attacked his
senior officers. He was hanged to death. In the eyes of his fellow sepoys, Mangal Pandey was a martyr. On 9
May, eighty-five soldiers in Meerut refused to use the new rifles and were sentenced to 10 years'
imprisonment. They were publicly stripped of their uniforms, put in chains in the presence of the entire
brigade and thrown into jail.
MAIN EVENTS OF THE REVOLTS
Meerut
Enraged by the humiliating treatment of their comrades the sepoys of the Meerut army rose in revolt the
following day. The sepoys stormed the jail and freed their comrades, shot their European officers, set their
bungalows on fire and cut the telegraph line to Delhi.

Delhi
The next morning they marched to Delhi, where they were joined by the local sepoys. They killed the
European officers and captured the city. On 11 May 1857, Bahadur Shah Zafar was persuaded to accept the
leadership of the Revolt. He was proclaimed Emperor of Hindustan. There was jubilation all around. The
restoration of the Mughal Empire was proclaimed with the booming of guns. News quickly spread that the
Company Raj had come to an end. The sepoy revolt had been transformed into a war of independence.
Inspired by the capture of Delhi, rebellions broke out over a wide area covering the North-Western Province,
Central India and western Bihar.

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Grade 7 History Volume 4

The success of the Revolt proved to be short lived. British reinforcements arrived from Punjab and Delhi was
recovered in September 1857. A reign of terror followed, thousands of innocent people were massacred and
hundreds were hanged without trial.

Bahadur Shah Zafar was taken prisoner, tried and exiled to Rangoon. The royal princes (two sons and one
grandson of Bahadur Shah Zafar) were shot down and their bodies displayed on the streets. The once great
dynasty of the Mughals finally came to an end.

Kanpur
Nana Saheb the adopted son of the former Peshwa Baji Rao II captured Kanpur and proclaimed himself the
Peshwa. His victory was short-lived. British reinforcements arrived and Kanpur was recaptured. The rebels
were punished with savage ferocity- Nana Saheb escaped. His brilliant commander, Tantya Tope, continued
the struggle but was later arrested and hanged.

Lucknow
The sepoys in Lucknow (capital of Awadh) were joined by the disbanded soldiers of the old Awadh army as
well as the talukdars and the peasants. The Revolt was led by Hazrat Mahal, the queen of the deposed and
exiled Nawab of Awadh. The British forces were defeated and besieged in the Lucknow Residency for several
months. Fresh reinforcements arrived from England, and Lucknow was recaptured. All the rebels who were
captured were hanged. The queen escaped to Nepal.

Jhansi
The Revolt in Jhansi in Central India was led by the 'bravest and the best of the military leaders of the rebels',
the 22-year-old Rani Laxmibai. She fought gallantly against the British forces, but Jhansi was captured. Rani
Laxmibai escaped, mobilized her forces and with the help of Tantya Tope, captured Gwalior and drove out
Sindhia—a loyal ally of the British.

Fierce fighting followed. The Rani, dressed like a soldier, 'using her sword with both hands and holding the
reigns of her horse in her mouth,' fought like a tigress. The brave Rani died, fighting to the very end. She
symbolized courage and bravery and the spirit of freedom. She became the most enduring symbol and the
greatest inspirational force for future generations of freedom fighters.

By July 1858, 14 months after the outbreak at Meerut, peace was declared. The Revolt had been crushed.
The British Empire had survived.

Results of the Revolt

The great uprising of 1857 was an important landmark in the history of modern India.
 The rule of the English East India Company came to an end. India now came under the direct rule of the
British Parliament and the Queen of England. (Queen Victoria was declared the Empress of India in 1876 by
the Royal Title Act, 1876)
 Queen Victoria issued a Proclamation promising to look after the welfare of the Indian people. Treaties
with Indian states would be honoured. The Doctrine of Lapse was abolished. The right to adopt sons as legal
heirs was acknowledged.
 A general pardon was granted to all the rebels, except those who had killed British subjects.
 The British government would not interfere in the social and religious customs of the people.
 Indians would be given opportunities to be associated with the administration. High posts in government
services would be given on the basis of merit, not race.
 The army was reorganized and strengthened. The number of British soldiers was increased and the
artillery placed exclusively under their control.
The Proclamation of Queen Victoria was an attempt to pacify the feelings and sentiments of the Indian
people and to convince them that their interests were now safe under the rule of the British Crown.

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CAIE Instructions for the Role play
Grade 7 History Volume 4

The Revolt of 1857 had come as a great shock to the British they realised that unity among Indians was the
most dangerous for their existence in India and therefore they initiated the policy of Divide and Rule.

Nature of the Revolt

European historians have described the Revolt of 1857 as a 'mutiny' of sepoys. Modern Indian historians
have rejected the European point of view. According to them:
 The Revolt was the outcome of the accumulated grievances of different sections of people and not the
sepoys alone.
 Those who joined the Revolt had different reasons and different motives but they were all united in their
hatred of British rule and their determination to overthrow it.
 It had wide popular support of various sections of society. Even the boatmen of Lucknow refused to carry
British soldiers across the river.
 The struggle created a strong bonding and a sense of unity between the Hindus and the Muslims. They
fought shoulder to shoulder, as single brethren against a common enemy.
 Of the estimated 1, 50,000 people killed in the Revolt, 1, 00,000 were civilians.
 Hence, the Revolt was not a mutiny. It was the first large-scale popular uprising against various social,
religious and economic injustices of foreign rule. It was the first large-scale expression of a desire for
freedom from foreign rule. Thus, it would be more appropriate to describe the Revolt as India's first step
towards freedom.

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