Indian Independence Movement
Early Lithographs | First War of Independence 1857-1858
Art365 India
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The Indian Independence movement was a series of activities whose ultimate aim was to end the British rule in India. The movement spanned a total of 90 years from 1857 to 1947. As the entire nation was fighting British rule, art and literature became the medium of struggle.
India’s first war of Independence also known as the Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India which began against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. Major participants were Mangal Pandey, Rani Lakshmi Bai, Nana Sahib Peshwa, Tatia Tope, Kunwar Singh, Bahadur Shah Zafar, Begum Hazrat Mahal etc.
The movement was a beacon of inspiration to many struggling people all over the world. Throughout the early part of the last century, the world watched with amazement as the people of a vast land, almost totally without any violence, fought and eventually defeated a mighty colonial power.
Popular art, as we know it today, was born in the dying years of the 19th century, spurred by the genius of Raja Ravi Varma and the emergence of cheap printing technology. The Indian print is part of a strong tradition of art for the masses. It has been used for dissemination of information, entertainment, advertising and propaganda.
The idea of printing caught on in a big way when India was in the throes of fighting British colonial rule and it was not long before the images of Bharat Mata (Mother India) & the well known political figures of the day, all of whom had caught the imagination of an oppressed populace in India and beyond, were on posters, labels and calendars. This included popular leaders like Mahatama Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Lala Lajpat Rai, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad and Rani Lakshmibai.
Printing presses like the Ravi Varma Press, Chitrashala Press, Brijbasi & Sons, SC Banerjee & Co, Photo Service Company, Kwality Calendar Company, Vadilal Dyeing & Printing Works, Calcutta Phototype Co, Joshi Art Works, Modern Pictures Publishers and many more, spread all over India, churned out prints in large numbers. The heroes of the freedom movement were elevated to the status of quasi-divinity. These were sold cheap in shops or distributed on the streets and came to be identified as street art.
Today, these posters and prints are difficult to obtain and have become collectors’ items. They provide not only a historic account of a particularly turbulent and inspiring time in modern India’s history, but also hold their own as works of art. Our collection of lithographs, photographs and prints honours the freedom fighters and movement that helped India achieve her independence.
The rebellion in 1857 was the spark which lit the conflagration, when the native sepoy troops of the Bengal army drastically rose up against their colonial masters. The ensuing insurrection was to become the bloodiest in the history of the British empire, with several thousands killed on both sides. With only 1700 men, including loyal sepoys, the British fought off many ferocious attacks. After ninety days, with the British reduced to just 600 soldiers, relief finally arrived. The response to the rebellion was fearsome. Reinforced by Gurkhas from Nepal and the Queens regiments fresh from the Crimea war, the British began a bloody campaign to re-establish their rule in India. Whole villages were hanged for actual or imagined sympathy for the freedom fighters. Later, convicted freedom fighters were lashed to the muzzles of cannon and had a round shot fired through their body. It was cruel punishment known by the Indians as the devil's wind.
The Revolt
The discontent against the British had been accumulating for a hundred years. By 1857, the material for a mass upheaval was ready, only a spark was needed to set it afire. The episode of greased cartridges provided this spark for the sepoys, and their rebellion provided the general populace the occasion to revolt.
The new Enfield rifle had been first introduced in the army. Its cartridge had a greased paper cover whose end had to be bitten off before it could be loaded into the rifle. The grease was in some instances composed of beef and pig fat. The sepoys, Hindus as well as Muslims, were enraged. Many believed that the government was deliberately trying to destroy their religion. The time to rebel had come.
The revolt began at Meerut, 36 miles from Delhi, on 10 May 1857 and then, gathering force rapidly, it cut across northern India like a sword. It soon embraced a vast area from the Punjab in the north and the Narmada in the south to Bihar in the east and Rajputana in the west. Even before the outbreak at Meerut, Mangal Pandey had become a martyr at Barrackpore. Mangal Pandey, a young soldier, was hanged on 29 March 1857 for revolting and attacking his officers.
Siege of Delhi
Bahadur Shah Zafar, by now the pensioned descendent of the Mughal dynasty, was popularly acclaimed as the leader of the resistance. On June 8, a British relief force defeated an army of freedom fighters at Badli Sarai and took up a position on the famous ridge, overlooking the city of Delhi. The besieging forces were themselves besieged by the freedom fighters, who made a daring attempt to intercept their train. The arrival of more British reinforcements finally led to the defeat of the freedom fighters by John Nicholson, commander of the relief force. After six days of street fighting, Delhi was recaptured. This action was the turning point in the campaign and is known as the siege of Delhi. Bahadur Shah was captured and was exiled to Burma.
Why the first war of independence failed
Many native Indian states, influenced by the example of powerful Hyderabad, did not join the rebels.
The aging Bahadur Shah Zafar was neither a brave general, nor an astute leader of the people.
The British had a very robust communication system, which the freedom fighters lacked.
Aftermath
In England, the rebellion provided the last straw on the heavy load of criticism and opposition which the East India Company had carried for some time. In August 1858, by the Act for the Better Government of India, its political authority was entrusted to a secretary of state. In August 1858, the British crown assumed control of India from the East India Company and in 1877, Queen Victoria was crowned as the empress of India. The rebellion played a pivotal role in Anglo-Indian history. The British afterwards became cautious and defensive about their empire, while many Indians remained bitter and would never trust their rulers again.
Movement which finally led to India’s independence
Khilafat movement which resulted in the Jallianwalal Bagh massacre
The Hindustan Socialist Republican Association, formed under Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, Rajguru
Freedom fighters like Udham Singh which shot Gen Dyer
Indian National Congress and Mahatma Gandhi regathered the momentum for home rule
Timeline of India’s freedom struggle
The early Europeans and the East India Company
1498 - Vasco da Gama arrives in India
1700 - East India Company is formed
1748 - Anglo-French war in India
1757 - First Battle of Plassey
1799 - British defeat Tipu Sultan
1805 - Anglo-Maratha War
1846 - Anglo-Sikh War - Sikhs defeated
1857 - First Indian War of Independence
Tryst with destiny: India’s freedom movement
1885 - Indian National Congress is founded by Allan Octavian Hume
1916 - Home Rule League is founded by Annie Besant
1919 - Khilafat movement, Jallianwala Bagh massacre, The Rowlat Act
1920 - Hindustan Socialist Republican Association formed under Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Singh & Rajguru
1921 - Rise of Gandhi & his non-cooperation movement
1922 - Gandhi suspends movement after the Chauri-Chaura violence
1928 - Murder of Lala Lajpat Rai & subsequent revolutionary activities
1931 - Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev & Rajguru hanged
1930 - The Dandi Salt March, First Round Table Conference
1931 - Second Round Table Conference, Gandhi-Irwin Pact
1937 - Provincial autonomy begins with Congress winning power in many states. WW II breaks out and political deadlock in India
1939 - All India Forward Block formed by Subhash Chandra Bose
1940 - Udham Singh shoots Gen Dyer
1942 - The Quit india movement & rise of Subhash Chandra Bose
1946 - INA men tried. Muslim League adamant about Pakistan. Royal Indian Navy rebellion in Bombay
1947 - India partitioned, British leave India, freedom at midnight