Shot down for wielding a patriotic pen
SHAFEY KIDWAI
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As exhibitions are mounted and books released on the 150th anniversary of the First War of Independence, spare a thought for the first martyred journalist.
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PHOTO: RAJEEV BHATT
Seeing the meaningless rhetoric abounding in the Urdu press today, one seldom remembers the sterling role played by it during India’s First War of Independence. Unlike the well-heeled and dominant English press that invariably described the first attempt to overthrow the British rule as “Mutiny”, “Rebellion”, “Uprising”, “Sedition” and “Sepoy Revolt”, the nascent Urdu press called it “The First War of
Independence” and “Freedom Movement”.
Urdu journalism holds the unmatched distinction of producing the first journalist who laid down his life for engendering patriotic feelings by exposing the misdeeds of the British rule. Moulvi Mohammad Baqar, editor Delhi Urdu Akhbar, faced death at the hands of a firing squad as soon as the British victoriously entered Delhi. He was put to eternal sleep without a formal trial. Moulvi Baqar became the first martyred journalist of India, but his supreme sacrifice remains little known. Since much ink is being expended over the events of 1857, it seems relevant to turn the attention to this “unsung hero” who wielded his pen to whip up feelings against alien rule.
First Urdu paper
India’s first Urdu newspaper Jam-e-Jahan Numa was issued from Calcutta on March 27, 1822, but the first Urdu newspaper of North India was brought out by Moulvi Baqar in 1837 from Delhi. It was a weekly printed on four pages of 12 X 8 inches issued every Saturday. The moth-eaten files of Delhi Urdu Akhbar preserved at the National Archives mirror the contemporary social and political life of Delhi where decline and decay had set in. It carried a plethora of news stories related to international events, the affairs of native states, the Royal Court and the East India Company. Further, the helplessness of the nominal emperor is mirrored in a regular column, “Huzoor-e-wala”.
The area of news coverage was amazing, and it was rightly regarded as the complete newspaper. It appointed correspondents in various cities to obtain the latest news. Moulvi Baqar put a premium on authenticity and asked the correspondents not to make use of hearsay and rumours. Delhi Urdu Akhbar was always held in great esteem by both Indians and the British, though its circulation hardly crossed the three figure mark.
Through its news, the paper started instigating its readers against British rule, and when the torch-bearers of the freedom movement stormed Delhi on May 11, 1857, it devoted the entire front page to highlight their gallantry. Delhi Urdu Akhbar had given up its usual restraint and showed little sympathy for the victims of the rebels’ violence. The issue of May 17, 1857 carried a detailed first hand report of the unprecedented violence in Delhi. It was the first example of “spot reporting” in Urdu journalism.
The report written in first person says: “The present scribe too came out of his house to see things for himself, inspired as he was by a regard for the glory of his faith and hearing the sound of gunfire. I was confronted by a strange sight: people were running from Kashmere Gate side into the market. Personal safety was no doubt in danger, but dearer to me than my personal safely was the desire to see unusual sights and the other equally strong desire to give a faithful eye-witnessed account of events to my readers. As I moved forward, I heard gunshots…a little ahead of me. Soon, I saw the Sahib Bahadur running for his life, sword in hand and a native following him with gun close at heel. In the rear was a crowd of common people, some with sticks in their hands, others with bamboos, chasing the beleaguered Englishmen at hot speed. They hunted down from Zeenat Bara towards the canal.”
This aside, Delhi Urdu Akhbar published a poem by Mohammad Hussain Azad that vividly reflected the popular sentiments aroused by the first war of independence. Its opening lines say:
It was only yesterday that the Christians
Were the championed ones and the world providers
But today their wisdom vanished
And their conquering army proved ineffective
To inspire his compatriots to keep their morale high, Delhi Urdu Akhbar changed its name. The issue of July 12 carried a new title, Akhbarul Zafar, the title suggested by Bahadur Shah Zafar. Now it started appearing on Sunday instead of Saturday in defiance of the Christian decree that opposed the idea of a newspaper being issued on a Sunday.
The British tried to create a rift among Indians on religious grounds and issued a proclamation which described the rebellion as the handiwork of unfaithful servants of the East India Company who not only imprisoned women and children but also captured the emperor. “The rebellion was a conspiracy of Hindus, hence we must jointly wage a war against the Hindus. We have no intention of hurting the religious feelings of Muslims.” Moulvi Baqar gave a point by point rebuttal and exhorted:
“Now brother countrymen and especially those who serve the army, let us beware of these attempts to divide us – we who are united as a parts of a body are united. Let us sacrifice all our comforts in the task of liberating ourselves from fears.”
Legal question
At the end of the editorial, Moulvi Baqar raised a pertinent legal question. He wrote if Indian soldiers revolted against the Company, the Company should approach the Emperor. Who has given them the right to wage a war against the Emperor?
The euphoria of the freedom struggle drew its sustenance from the pen of Moulvi Baqar who was eliminated as the Company gained the control. Some historians erroneously linked the execution of Moulvi Baqar to the killing of Taylor, the principal of the Delhi College. They alleged that he first gave shelter to Taylor in his house but later handed him over to the rebels. This is not true, as Urdu Delhi itself carried the news of Taylor’s killing in an explosion.
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