Freedom Fighters of India

Freedom Fighters of India

‘Free India’ was a dream of all Indians under the British rule. Everyone during that rule fought in some way or the other with a common aim of ending British and other colonial authorities in India. After a century of revolutions, struggle, blood shedding, battles and sacrifices, India finally achieved independence on August 15, 1947.

India was free in 1947 from the British Empire but the country lost many men and women who were filled with undaunted courage and spirit of patriotism. Today, they are known as freedom fighters because they sacrificed their lives for their motherland.

Indian freedom fighters with their true spirit and undaunted courage had faced various tortures, exploitations and hardships to earn us freedom.

The pioneers of the freedom movement were Mangal Pandey, Tantia Tope, Rani of Jhansi and the great Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi who introduced non-violent ways of fighting the enemy. Other notable freedom fighters of India are Annie Besant, Lala Lajpat Rai, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Bhagat Singh, Bipin Chandra Pal, Sukhdev, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Chandrashekhar Azad, Sarojini Naidu, Dadabhai Naoroji, Sucheta Kriplani and Chakravarti Rajagopalachari.



There are endless number of men and women other than the above list who daringly fought for India’s freedom.

This is a listing of people who campaigned against or are considered to have campaigned against foreign domination and cultural imposition on the Indian sub-continent. In India and the rest of South Asia such individuals are often referred to as freedom fighters.

Soon after the Europeans reached the Indian shores, with the arrival of Vasco da Gama in 1498 at Kappad shore at the port of Kozhikode in Kerala, segments of the indigenous population began intermittent rebellions against foreign powers and their cultural values.

Initially these revolts were by Arabs, Jews, Chinese traders, and local merchants as a rebellion against Portuguese traders to protect their own profits. Later many of the revolts had aspects of being over religious beliefs, taxation, administrative power, etc. These revolts occurred against various Europeans powers, but mainly against Britain, the primary occupier.

Pre 1857

Maruthu pandiyargal 

The Maruthu Pandiyar brothers (Periya Maruthu and Chinna Maruthu) ruled Sivagangai, Tamil Nadu towards the end of the 18th century. They were the first to issue a proclamation of independence from the British rule from Trichy Thiruvarangam Temple, Tamil Nadu on June 10, 1801, 56 years before the Sepoy mutiny (also known as the first war of Independence) which broke out in many parts of north India in 1857

 Kitturu Rani Chennamma (Kannada: ಕಿತ್ತೂರು ರಾಣಿ ಚೆನ್ನಮ್ಮ) (1778 - 1829) was the queen of the princely state of Kittur in Karnataka. In 1824, 33 years before the 1857 war of independence, she led an armed rebellion against the British in response to the Doctrine of lapse. The resistance ended in her martyrdom and she is remembered today as one of the earliest Indian rulers to have fought for independence. Along with Abbakka Rani, Keladi Chennamma and Onake Obavva she is much venerated in Karnataka as an icon of bravery and women's pride.

Sangolli Rayanna (Kannada ಸಂಗೊಳ್ಳಿ ರಾಯಣ್ಣ )(B: 15-Aug-1798 – D: 26-Jan-1831) was a prominent freedom fighter from Karnataka, India. He fought the British till his death. He was the army chief of the Kingdom of Kittur ruled at the time by Rani Chennamma. Rayanna was born in the small village of Sangolli, he belonged to the Kuruba Gowda caste and hence a warrior. A film was made on his life and achievements

Freedom Fighters of 1857

Mangal Pandey (c. 19 July 1827 – 8 April 1857) (Hindi: मंगल पांडे) was a sepoy (soldier) in the 34th Regiment of the Bengal Native Infantry (BNI) of the English East India Company. He is widely seen in India as one of its first freedom fighters. The Indian government has issued postage stamps commemorating him as freedom fighter and his life and actions have been adapted to the silver screen.


Tantya Tope
Ramachandra Pandurang Tope (1814 - 18 April 1859), also known as Tatya Tope (pronounced Toh-pey), was an Indian leader in the First War of Indian Independence of 1857. He was a personal adherent of Nana Sahib of Kanpur. He progressed with the Gwalior contingent after the British reoccupation of Kanpur and forced General Windham to retreat from Kanpur. Later on, he came to the rescue of Rani Laxmi Bai. However he was defeated by General Napier`s troops and was executed by the British Government at Shivpuri on 18th April 1859.

Rani Lekshmi Bhai
Lakshmibai, The Rani (Queen) of Jhansi (c.19 November 1828 – 17 June 1858) (Hindi- झाँसी की रानी Marathi- झाशीची राणी), known as Jhansi Rani, was the queen of the Maratha-ruled princely state of Jhansi, was one of the leading figures of the Indian Rebellion of 1857, and a symbol of resistance to British rule in India. She has gone down in history as a legendary figure, as India's "Joan of Arc."^[1]

Bahadur Shah Zafar

Abu Zafar Sirajuddin Muhammad Bahadur Shah Zafar (Urdu: ابو ظفر سِراجُ الْدین محمد بُہادر شاہ ظفر), also known as Bahadur Shah or Bahadur Shah II (Urdu: بہادر شاہ دوم) (October 1775  – 7 November 1862) was the last of the Mughal emperors in India, as well as the last ruler of the Timurid Dynasty. He was the son of Akbar Shah II and Lalbai, who was a Hindu Rajput. He became the Mughal Emperor upon his father's death on 28 September 1837. Zafar ( Urdu: ظفر ), meaning “victory”^[1] was his nom de plume (takhallus) as an Urdu poet. Even in defeat it is traditionally believed that he said

“

Ghazionmen bu rahegi jabtalak imanki; Tabto Londontak chalegi teg Hindusthanki

”

“As long as there remains the least trace of love of faith in the hearts of our heroes, so long, the sword of Hindusthan shall be sharp, and one day shall flash even at the gates of London.”^[2]

Zafar's father Akbar Shah Saani II ruled over a rapidly disintegrating empire between 1806 to 1837. It was during his time that the East India Company dispensed with even the fig leaf of ruling in the name of the Mughal Monarch and removed his name from the Persian texts that appeared on the coins struck by the company in the areas under their control.

Bahadur Shah Zafar who succeeded him was not Akbar Shah Saani’s choice as his successor, Akbar Shah was, in fact, under great pressure by one of his queens, Mumtaz Begum to declare her son Mirza Jahangir as the successor. Akbar Shah would have probably accepted this demand but Mirza Jahangir had fallen foul of the British and they would have none of this.

Azimullah Khan Yusufzai (1830-1858) also known as Dewan Azimullah Khan or Krantidoot Azimullah Khan, was initially appointed Secretary, and later Prime Minister (hence the prefix Dewan) to Nana Sahib Peshwa.

Azimullah Khan was involved in the Indian Rebellion of 1857, primarily ideologically, influencing important nobles such as Nana Sahib.

Ahmed Khan Kharal was one of the greatest freedom fighters in the Indian rebellion of 1857.

He was a resident of Sandal Bar's famous town Jhamra in Jhang District, currently in Faisalabad, Punjab. He started his rebellion in a wide area of Punjab, Pakistan covering Ganji Bar, Neeli Bar and Sandal Bar area (an area between rivers Sutlej, Ravi River and Chenab covered with thick forests in past). The center of his movement was the town of Gogera which lies in the Neeli Bar area. A Muslim Jatt Rai Ahmed Khan Kharal of Punjab was basically a landlord, owner of a reasonable/worth mentioning territory, he was leader of Kharal Tribe due to the prevailing injustice from British rule were also acknowledged by the last Mughal king, Bahadur Shah Zafar.