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Samru: The Fearless Warrior
The age in which this drama unfolded was the later part of the 18th century, the interregnum between the collapse of the Moghul Empire and the emergence of British supremacy. During this time there rose many military adventurers, some of them from different corners of Europe. One such was Walter Bernhardt, an Austrian, a butcher by trade, who initially enlisted with French troops in India as a common soldier, during which his comrades gave him the sobriquet of Sombre on account of his sombre temperament and cast of face, which was tempered into Samru by the Indians. Leaving the French, he joined the East India Company, deserted them in turn, raised his own troops and joined Mir Qasim. At the latter's behest, he murdered about 150 British civilians and prisoners-of-war, for which the British called him the Butcher of Patna. After Mir Qasim lost out to the Company, he decamped with the treasure of the Nawab and drifted to Delhi with his troops, providing mercenary services to the highest bidder. During this time he visited a kotha, met a prostitute, Farzana, and later married her. She learnt the ropes of military command and rode out with him in his campaigns. When Samru died, she consolidated herself by ruthless methods and vastly improved her position and influence. Her ability to command respect and her remarkable gifts as a politician helped her establish and maintain excellent relations with each power. The book is a fictionalised biography with a linear narrative. No character exists in its own right, except as it relates to the Begum's life and career. Understandably enough, her character has been portrayed in a favorable light. The sub-title The Fearless Warrior is somewhat contrary to historical evidence. While she, no doubt, had ample physical courage and was present on many a battlefield, she was the de jure commander, whereas the actual fighting was done under one or the other of her officers. For instance, the battle in which the Mughul Emperor was saved from a precarious position, it was George Thomas who led the charge. But the Begum who was present in her palanquin got all the credit and was referred to as "Our most beloved daughter" by the grateful Emperor. Later she edged out Thomas (he went on to carve out his own principality, Hansi) and married a Frenchman. The step proved to be a disaster. The troops revolted and the two of them fled. They made a suicide pact when surrounded by the rebels. While she stabbed herself (this resulted in a superficial injury), the man shot himself fatally. The book depicts this episode as a failed suicide attempt. It was, in fact, a perfidious move by which she rid herself of the man who was the root cause of the revolt and had become a liability. She appealed to Thomas for help who got her reinstated. Another episode concerned her slave girls, who were accused of arson. She gave a summary trial and had them flogged and buried alive and slept over the grave. Sleeman, who interviewed eyewitnesses, has recorded that the Begum's object was to make a strong impression upon her turbulent troops, which shows that she was not only utterly ruthless but was an inhuman monster. On the whole, the author has adhered to historical facts, barring one minor but jarring note. Maharaja Ranjit Singh is shown as having secured the Kohinoor by exchanging turbans with Shah Shuja, whereas it is well known this stratagem was employed by Nadir Shah with the Moghul Emperor. The author has given a deeply moving account of the irruption of Ghulam Qadir, the Rohilla freebooter into the Red Fort and the atrocities perpetrated by him, including the blinding and the deposition of the Emperor — one of the saddest episodes in the history of the Moghul dynasty. The role of Scindia in meting out retribution to the miscreant and the restoration of the Emperor has been brought out very well. Perhaps the author could have highlighted the fact that it was not any Muslim ruler, not the Nizam, not Awadh but the Hindu Scindia, by getting one of the characters to make this observation. The narrative is also enlivened with anecdotes such as the comedy resulting from the inability of a British commander to distinguish between kavwa (crow) and kahwa (coffee). Minor lapses of language, needless repetitions and some errors (e.g., definition of nikah in the glossary) could have been eliminated with some decent editing. On the whole, a fascinating narrative about a remarkable character about whom Sleeman has written: "`85this extraordinary woman, whose history had interested me more than any other person of my time." For its low price, it is an excellent buy that can be read and enjoyed. |
THE meteoric rise of Begum Samru, the protagonist of
the historic novel, dazzled her contemporaries and even today, it
astounds. Starting out as a prostitute, she ended up as the commander of
her own troops; the recognised ruler, in her own right of the rich
principality of Sardhana, a Moghul noble, who was honoured with titles
bestowed by the Emperor. She received and regally entertained
dignitaries, including Governor-Generals and Commanders-in-Chief. In a
eulogistic letter addressed to "Her Highness the Begum Sumro,"
Lord Bentinck saluted her as "my esteemed friend."