Rediscovering 'Ghadar': The forgotten first Hindi novel on the 1857 rebellion

By Prem Singh 

The rebellion of 1857 had spread over a vast area of the Indian subcontinent, but its main focus was the Hindi heartland. The effect of the rebellion on Hindi literature, therefore, is expected to be considerable. The first four novels in Hindi were written by authors residing in Delhi and the surrounding areas. Gauridutt, the author of Devrani Jethani Ki Kahani (1870), was from Meerut. Ishwari Prasad and Kalyan Rai, the authors of Vama Shikshak (1872), were also from Meerut. The author of Bhagyawati (1877), Sradha Ram Phillory, came from Punjab, and the author of Parikshaguru (1882), Lala Sriniwas Das, lived in Delhi. 

But these texts do not indicate any impact of the rebellion which started from Meerut, where a fierce battle took place in Delhi between the rebellious Indians and the British forces. In contrast, the folk literature of this period depicts the rebellion on a large scale. This is despite the fact that novels were being written in considerable numbers in the pre-Premchand era. The detective novel may be exempted, but even in social and historical novels, no substantial impact of the rebellion is to be found.

Surprisingly, several British writers wrote more than 50 novels and fictional accounts based on the 'Mutiny' between 1859 to 1964, as mentioned by Shailendradhari Singh in his book Novels on the Indian Mutiny. Gautam Chakravarty includes and analyses 70 such novels written from 1859 to 1947 in his book The Indian Mutiny and the British Imagination. The first Hindi novel on the rebellion, titled Ghadar (1930), was published by a Delhi-based writer, Rishabh Charan Jain, after a long wait of 73 years. In fact, this is the first full-fledged novel based on the rebellion written in any Indian language. The novel was confiscated immediately by the British government.

This novel is neither easily available now nor does it find any special mention in the history of the Hindi novel. P.J.O. Taylor, in his book on the 'Mutiny' titled What Really Happened During the Mutiny, gives a reference list of novels and books written on the rebellion in Hindi, Urdu, Bangla, Marathi, and other languages. He makes no mention of this first novel in Hindi written on the rebellion. Dr. Ramvilas Sharma, too, has not mentioned this novel while analysing the impact of the rebellion on Hindi literature. Scholars who have worked on modern Hindi prose or political consciousness in fiction have also overlooked this novel. This indicates a trend of ignoring fiction based on the rebellion, both by writers and scholars. As late as 1976, Bhagawandas Mahore, in his Ph.D. thesis 1857 Ke Swadhinata Sangram Ka Hindi Sahitya Par Prabhav, for the first time made a special reference to Ghadar, acknowledging its significance as the first novel written on the rebellion. After Ghadar came Jhansi Ki Rani Lakshmibai (1946) by Vrindavan Lal Verma. This novel can be termed a trend-setter, as it marked the beginning of an intermittent process of writing novels on the rebellion of 1857—one that continues till today.

Ghadar, divided into ten episodes with an epilogue, contains only 88 pages. However, its brevity does not diminish its significance. The plot of the novel is based on the incidents that took place in Bithoor and Kanpur during the rebellion. The novel deals with the period from May 10, 1857—the day of the revolt by the soldiers of Meerut—to July 17, 1857, when Nana Saheb was defeated by the army of Havelock.

The author plays it safe while writing the novel, as there was an obvious fear of the wrath of British rule. Further, it was a challenging task for him to write a novel based on the incidents of Kanpur, which witnessed two 'infamous' incidents—Satichaura Ghat and Bibighar. These are described by British officers and historians as the most barbaric and deceitful acts of massacre by the rebels. However, there are controversial and contradictory versions of the events.

The writer makes a daring attempt by choosing these two incidents as the subject matter of his novel. In the narrative, when the flames of the rebellion engulf Kanpur and Nana assumes leadership of the rebels, the British take shelter in the Entrenchment with their families. After a month-long encampment, they strike a deal with Nana. As per the agreement, Nana agrees to provide a safe passage to the British to leave Kanpur for Allahabad by arranging boats for them. As they are about to board the boats, firing starts, the boats are set ablaze, and most people—including Army Chief Sir Hugh Wheeler—die on the spot.

Historians are not entirely clear about what exactly happened that day and who was responsible for the massacre. If the rebels had planned it, why then did they bring the British on elephants and 'palkis' to the riverbank when they could have killed them outside the Entrenchment? Was it a 'conspiracy' hatched by Nana? Was it an impulsive reaction by the soldiers provoked by British firing on a boatman? Or was it instigated by the mob present at the site in response to General Neil’s atrocities?

The writer mainly focuses on two characters: Nana Saheb and Azimullah Khan. The representation of Nana does not emerge as strong or vibrant. He is shown as pro-British, lacking the will to revolt and unaware of the revolutionaries’ plans. Jain's portrayal of Nana contradicts both the general Indian perception that views him as a prominent hero of 1857 and the British portrayal of him as a cruel villain. The author likely aimed to present an image distinct from the negative or marginal depictions found in British fictional and historical accounts.

This bias—perhaps even abhorrence—against Nana seen in British literature is likely rooted in the massacres at Satichaura Ghat and Bibighar, where not only British men but also women and children were killed. The British believed Nana was responsible. But in the novel, Nana is portrayed as innocent. Jain goes a step further: toward the end of the novel, he describes a distraught Nana suffering emotionally as he considers himself morally responsible for the massacre. The novel concludes with Nana, along with his family, rowing down a river and voluntarily embracing death by sinking into the water—an act of moral repentance.

Twenty-seven years after the publication of Ghadar, came Surendra Nath Sen’s 'objective and factual' history of the rebellion, 1857. Abul Kalam Azad, in his Preface to the book, emphatically felt that the time had come for both Indians and British to view the rebellion objectively and factually to wipe away the feelings of hatred. Whether the author of Ghadar shared this sentiment or not, the novel minimizes the potential for further provocation of hatred between Indians and British. In fact, the writer confesses that he did not want to tarnish his fictional representation by commenting on the religious-racial revenge undertaken by the British in Kanpur after the rebels' defeat. It need not be emphasized that this first novel on the rebellion can also be read from the perspective of other characters and incidents, besides the notable characterization of Nana Saheb.

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P.S. A detailed analysis of Ghadar can be found in my article ‘1857 in the Hindi Novel: The Character and the Spirit of the Rebellion’ compiled in the book Literary Resistance: India 1857, Ed. G.K. Das, Sushma Arya, Primus Books, Delhi, 2009.

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The author, associated with the socialist movement, is a former teacher of Delhi University and a former fellow of the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla