John Lang missed chance to cover 1857 Sepoy Mutiny

By RAJU GUSAIN

DEHRADUN:Australia's first novelist John Lang missed the golden opportunity to cover the start of the 'First War of Indian Independence' in 1857.During this period, the author, barrister and journalist was in England. Incidentally, Lang fought the famous case of Rani Laxmi Bai against the annexation of Jhansi, thus contributing to the Indian struggle for freedom.

On 10 May, 1857, Meerut saw an uprising that swept like wildfire through Northern India. Incidentally, at that period John Lang's newspaper 'The Mofussilite' was being published from Agra, not Meerut, owing to distribution problems.

Victor Crittenden, author of 'John Lang - Australia's larrikin writer', says, "John Lang left for England and the newspaper was being edited by another person in 1857. But, John Lang retained ownership of the paper. He returned to India in 1859."

It will be recalled that Lang and the East India Company developed serious differences after his successful legal defence of 'Jottee Persuad' in 1853. The barrister even served a jail term in Calcutta for fighting this famous case.

"Lang would not have been published at all in Britain's publications if he had not taken the Indian side. His article on Nana Sahib, published in Dickens'Household Words and republished in Lang's own book 'Wanderings in India', clearly indicates his personal attitude. The British Government regarded Nana Sahib as one of the great villains of the'Mutiny'. John Lang wrote about him in a totally different vein."

The Mofussilite was started on 2 August 1845 in Calcutta. In 1846, the publication was shifted to Ambala. From Ambala it moved to Meerut. Before 1857, The Mofussilite was being published from Agra. On 1 March, 1859 the newspaper moved again, this time from Agra back toMeerut.

The Mofussilite provided coverage of the 'Sepoy Mutiny' from Agra. It was possibly the only local English newspaper to do so. But it is sad that the copies of the 1857 copies of The Mofussilite are missing even from the microfilms of the British Library. The copies are also unavailable at the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (New Delhi). But many reports got published in 1857 worldwide. All quoted facts and figures from The Mofussilite.

Garhwal Post

14 May 2006

Dehradun Uttaranchal (India)