Rani Lakshmi Bai is one of the great nationalist heroines of the first war for Indian Independence, a symbol of resistance to the British rule in India.
Lakshmi Bai was married at the age of 14 to Raja Gangadhar Rao, the Maharaja of Jhansi. However destiny was cruel to her. When she was only 18, her husband and only son died. Their tragic deaths made her even stronger to face any circumstances. She took charge of Jhansi and declared herself the Queen of Jhansi. The British took advantage of the death of Raja Gangadhar Rao and rejected Rani’s claim to be the queen.
Soon the British ruler announced Rs 60,000 (annual pension) for Rani and also ordered her to leave the Jhansi fort. Rani felt humiliated. She was like a silent volcano before eruption. She was a woman of self-respect and so didn’t give up. Instead she planned to free the country from the British.
Rani not only trained her men for a historic war but also included the women and encouraged them to participate in the freedom movement. She strengthened the defences of Jhansi and they fought like fierce lions out for revenge. The British attacked Jhansi and Rani Lakshmi Bai along with her faithful warriors fought fiercely and decided not to give up until their own bodies were burnt to ashes.
At a time when women were considered the weaker sex, Rani Lakshmi Bai rose up with such great power that the British feared her very name. For her immense effort and great courage, she is referred to as the ‘Icon of the Indian Nationalist Movement’.
— Sajith Cyriac
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