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The Warner Letters
The 150th anniversary of the revolt was a bonanza for writers and publishers. Suddenly, in various nooks and corners of the United Kingdom, people discovered relatives who had fought in 1857. It is in a similar strain that June Bush inherited a set of diaries, journals and letters written between 1853 and 1863 by her great-great-grandfather Captain Richard Warner who was entrapped in the siege of Lucknow in 1857. So, she compiled the correspondence after collating them historically in the British library where the rest of the letters sit. Through the journals and diaries of an elderly father and the letters of his three sons, the narrative traces the plot of 1857 as it culminates in the ‘rebellion’ in the British terminology. The period of Ashton’s life under siege and Wynyard’s endeavour to regain control over Delhi are particularly interesting episodes in the narration. As far as the text is concerned, it would hold far more fascination for the Western reader as he recapitulates the saga when the Empire was almost lost, but was salvaged by her soldiers. From their perspective, it was a saga of bravery as they retrieved Pax Britannica with this tremendous reprisal, covered by the Ashton family correspondence. Though over a period of time, the reams of such personal memories, letters and journals have been published in Britain, this is truly old wine in new bottle which has been poured both by the colonised as well as the coloniser. The text, as it unravels, rewrites the same anglicised colloquialisms of Indian words. As far as the unraveling of historical facts goes, it evinces a virtual deja vu particularly for the Indian reader, the mutiny has reams of publications which illustrate off-quoted facts. However, as historiography makes a paradigm shift from formal renditions to personal versions, oft-making inter-disciplinary boundaries seamless, there is scope for a nuanced analysis of the social as well as the political scenario existent. The way of thinking in the 19th century, when the Indians were referred to as ‘niggers’: "I yesterday went out to see the Fort of the Tuthal Raja blown up, which was done very satisfactorily. The beast got frightened and left the place with a tremendous quantity of grain in it. Report says the Niggers have left Futteghur. Won’t they catch it in Oude. Ourselves from Rohikland, Franks from Bennares, Gurkhas from Garrackpoor, Outram from Cawnpore, we shall all close in and smash them to little bits as they will have no means of escape". British thought has evolved in the 21st century. This thought struck me in the foreword itself, as the author, like many contemporary British writers, endeavours through a retrospective lens to express individual remorse for the collective follies of the Empire. This objectivity has evolved obviously almost over a century, however, it is heartening that the Empire is no longer regarded as a phase of history to be lauded. I was often more than a little shocked and horrified by some of the thoughts and actions of the two brothers. Attitudes have greatly altered over 150 years and Ashton and Wynyard, who seem to have been typically decent, fair-minded young men of their time, apparently learned very quickly from their peers and from those to whom they looked for guidance, to be contemptuous of all native Indians, often referring to them as ‘brutes’ or ‘niggers’. With such a mindset at the heart of the tiny British community trying to rule half a continent containing a kaleidoscope of creeds and cultures, it is not difficult to understand how or why the Indian Mutiny occurred. It is creditable that the author has made her personal analysis at the outset. This book has been gleaned from June Bush’s legacy, let us grant to the British (due apologies, to the Bajrang Dal) setting apart the flaws of their rule (conversions, discriminatory practices, etc.), they recorded their pursuits and tenures. These are today pivotal for the reconstruction of history as well as for savouring the flavour of the era. June Bush’s compilation accomplishes the latter purpose. However, she has not provided a substantial bibliography or any theoretical treatise so as to bolster its intrinsic worth for academic use. Nevertheless, she has put her legacy to a worthwhile usage rather than merely letting it sit in an obscure vault.
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THE
mutiny of 1857, if I may dare to term it so at the risk of incurring the
wrath of the ‘nationalists’ like Veer Savarkar (and some of our
jingoists like the Bajrang Dal) who regard it as the first war of Indian
independence, had its underpinning repercussions for British India. As a
matter of fact, it shook the complacence of the Empire as it basked in
the high noon of its glory. The apprehension of loosing the Empire led
Queen Victoria to pass the Act of 1858, and the Indian Administration
passed from the tentacles of East India Company to the Crown. At any
rate, extant historiography imbues binary tropes, formal versions of the
Indian or British historians, with a glut of the impersonal, a change in
the histographical lens is imperative. So on to a purview of personal
reportage as well.