y father is a big history enthusiast - he loves anything and everything about Indian mythology;
my mother is a story lover - she mostly likes to read Marathi, but she dabbles in everything. This
resulted in parents with endless stories to tell, and as their progeny, I enjoy listening to every one
of them. One of my all-time favourite stories is of Rani Lakshmibai, who is more popularly
known as Jhansi ki Rani. I loved that story so much that as a kid, I had started believing I was a
close friend of Jhansi ki Rani in another lifetime - something that never failed to make my
parents or others laugh. Then imagine my surprise, when I researched about ‘Azadi ka Amrit
Mahotsav,’ and looked at the Unsung Heroes section to find Jhansi ki Rani’s actual close friend!
Someone, I could not believe my parents hadn’t told me about! Extremely curious and intrigued,
I read her story and tried to gather as much information as I could and all that I read, left me in
awe; I decided, the one thing I had to do was write about Jhansi ki Rani’s advisor and friend -
Jhalkari Bai.
---
On 22nd November 1830, in a small village near Jhansi, a little girl was born to Sadova Singh
and his wife, Jamuna Devi. They named her Jhalkari. Jhalkari, sadly, lost her mother at an early
age and was raised by her father. He taught her archery, and how to fight with lathis and swords.
He even taught her how to ride a horse. She would practise rigorously and did not stop until she
had finally defeated her father in combat - a day that arrived sooner rather than later and which she and her father celebrated by making laddoos.
At the young age of 12, when Jhalkari had gone to the forest to get the wood she was attacked by a
deadly wolf. With nothing in hand but her axe, she threw it at the wolf, but lost her grip and
instead, misplaced the axe. It is still not known how Jhalkari managed to defeat the wolf - legend
says, the little girl managed to kill it with her bare hands.
Over the years, Jhalkari’s skill and courage grew tremendously and with that, the tales of her
bravery travelled miles. Such tales reached the ears of Puran Kori, a soldier who served in the
artillery unit of Rani Lakshmibai’s Army, and who then decided to propose marriage to her.
They were soon married.
During a festival at Jhansi fort that Jhalkari and her husband were attending, Rani Laxmibai
spotted her and was pleasantly surprised by how similar they looked. Jhalkari’s features,
complexion and physical stature, all bore an uncanny resemblance to that of the Queen. When
the Queen was briefed on Jhalkari’s brave acts, she quickly inducted her into the women’s wing
of her army and trained her further in warfare.
On 23rd March 1858, General Rose launched an attack on Jhansi. The Queen fought valiantly
with 4,000 of her troops, but was betrayed by one of her commanders and was forced to retreat.
The situation was not good - Peshwa Nana Saheb’s troop that was going to come to their aid had
been defeated by Hugh Rose and it was now apparent that Jhansi was losing the battle. On the
advice of her courtier, the Rani escaped with her son to Kalpi. Upon hearing about this, Jhalkari
set out for General Rose’s camp in disguise and declared herself to be the Queen. The confusion
and chaos provided Rani Lakshmibai with enough time to get out and gave the army renewed
advantage.
Jhalkari fought bravely for an entire day without anyone discovering her identity. However,
when she was discovered she was captured and taken to General Rose. Even then, she did not
waver and was ready to die for the Queen. While captured, she was kept on tight guard but
Jhalkari was not one to be stopped - she managed to escape. The next day, when General Rose
launched an attack at the fort, he was struck dumb. Jhalkari continued to fight with vigour,
killing many British.
Jhalkari Bai died on April 4, 1858, while defending her Queen and fighting for her motherland.
While her contributions were unknown till they were brought to light in the 1960s by historians,
today she is a symbol of pride not just for her community, but the entire nation.
---
After talking with my parents, it turns out they did tell me about Jhalkari Bai - you cannot tell
Rani Lakshmibai’s story without speaking about the brave sacrifice by Jhalkari Bai. Isn’t it
curious how fate works? Years before, imagining yourself as Rani ki Jhansi’s close friend, years
later writing a story on Rani ki Jhansi’s actual close friend. I wish that in my past life, if I ever
had one, I was someone just as courageous and lionhearted as Jhalkari Bai. Her story will stay
with me forever and serves as an inspiration for many others. Jai Hind!
Sources:
https://amritmahotsav.nic.in/flip-book/Unsung-Heroes-Comic.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jhalkaribai
https://www.thestatesman.com/features/jhalkari-bai-nation-1503098148.html
Good one Aarushi