On Tuesday[18.11.2014],
our Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave his Australian counterpart Tony Abbott a
rather interesting gift ~ and to us something to glance through the annals of
history.
By simply reading Indian history books, we may never understand the fierce
battle of independence nor the way the British suppressed the Indian
subjects. We have read about her in our school book and
in many places in North India, one can see her astride horse. Such equestrian statues showing her son tied
to her back are in Gwalior and Jhansi. This is post is not about the Rani of Jhansi – Jhansi
Rani Laxmibhai ….. but on an Australian lawyer and novelist by name John Lang
[1816-1864]… [what makes us remember him 150 years after his death ?]
John Lang was born at Parramatta,
Sydney; was educated at Sydney College; went to Cambridge and returned to
Australia as Barrister. In 1842, at a public meeting, he seconded a motion
proposed by William Wentworth, that the Crown be petitioned to grant the colony
a representative assembly. A few months later he went to India and was
successful as a barrister, taking on high-profile clients such as the Rani of
Jhansi in her battles against the British East India Company. Lang was a journalist too and in 1845
established a paper, the Mofussilite, at Meerut. He even learnt Hindusthani
language. The paper often took critical stance against the British East India
Company’s harmful policies – he was sued and briefly jailed. He
also wrote some novels which appeared serially in the Mofussilite and in Fraser's
Magazine. Some of these were very
popular and were often reprinted. Lang
visited London in 1859, and was for a short time at Calcutta where he issued
the Optimist. Lang died in the hill station of Mussoorie, India, and was buried
in Camel's Back Cemetery.
Our Prime Minister Sh.
Narendra Modi on a visit to Australia presented to Mr. Tony Abbott, a
commemorative Photo Collage dedicated to the memory of Mr. John Lang, an
Australian with a remarkable Indian connection. The collage was presented at
the beginning of the bilateral talks between the two leaders at the Australian
Parliament in Canberra.
Jhansi Rani statue at Solapur pic credit : Wikipedia
Lakshmibai popularly Rani of Jhansi, ruled Jhansi State and was one
of the leading figures of the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Lakshmibhai was born in 1828 into a Brahmin
Maratha family and was named ‘Manikarnika’. Manikarnika was married to the
Maharaja of Jhansi, Raja Gangadhar Rao, in 1842, and was afterwards called
Lakshmibai. Her son was named Damodar Rao.
The child died young and the Royal family adopted another and named him
Damodhar too. After the death of the
Maharaja in November 1853, because Damodar Rao was adopted, the British East
India Company, under Governor-General Lord Dalhousie, applied the Doctrine of
Lapse, rejecting Damodar Rao's claim to the throne and annexing the state to
its territories. In the famous battle of Jhansi – Rani Laxmi bai on a horse
with young Damodhar on it fought valiantly.
In 1854, Lang became
Counsel to Jhansi Rani Laxmibai and represented her in her legal battles
against the East India Co’s policy of land seizures under the infamous Doctrine
of lapse. Lang was the Indian
correspondent for Household Words, a weekly edited by Charles Dickens. His travelogue ‘wanderings in India’ contains
splendid descriptions of Mussorie.
More than a
century and half later now, Shri Modiji gave Mr Tony Abbot, a gift seen to
revive the long forgotten legacy of John Lang. Modi presented the original petition filed by Lang to
Abbott. Lang is written as a person who stood
out in British India by standing up for Indians. A photograph and the related documents of the
Memorandum were a part of this unique gift which Shri Narendra Modi presented
to Mr. Tony Abbott. The collage contains the following other significant photographs:1.
Photo of Marriage Certificate of John Lang with Margaret Wetter, Christ Church
of Mussoorie, India, 11 May 1861; 2. Photo of John Lang’s final resting place,
Camel’s Back Road Cemetery, Mussoorie, India; 3. Photo of a Commemorative
Plaque in memory of John Lang, Christ Church of Mussoorie, India.
Interestingly,
Rani Lakshmibai originally hailed from Varanasi, the constituency now
represented in the Lok Sabha by the Prime Minister.
With regards – S.
Sampathkumar
19th Nov. 2014.
