T h en there was the m u t i ny of 1857. T he causes we re the
mistakes and mi smanagement of the B r i t i sh peoples' o w n a u t h o r ities; the people of I n d ia had n ot o n ly no share in i t, b ut we re
a c tua l ly ready at the c a ll of the author i t i es to rise and support
t h e m. T he B r i t i sh supremacy was t r i u m p h a n t ly ma i n t a i n e d, b ut
w h at was the r e w a rd f or the people ? T he w h o le p a y m e nt to the
last f a r t h i ng of the cost was i n f l i c t ed u p on the peopl e. Let L o r d
N o r t h b r o o k say h ow shabbi ly they we re t r e a t ed:
" T he w h o le of the o r d i n a ry expenses in the Abys s ini an e x p e d it i on we re pa id by I n d i a, the a r g ume nt used b e i ng that I n d ia
w o u l d have to pay her t roops in the o r d i n a ry w ay and that she
o u g ht n ot to seek to make a p r o f it o ut of the affair. B ut h ow d i d
the H o me G o v e r n m e nt treat the I n d i an G o v e r n m e nt w h en t roops
we re sent o ut d u r i ng the M u t i n y ? D i d they say, ' We d o n 't w a nt
to make any p r o f it o ut of this?' N o t a b it of i t. E v e ry single m an
sent o ut was pa id for by India d u r i ng the w h o le t i m e, t h o u gh o n ly
t e m p o r a ry use was made of t h e m, i n c l u d i ng the cost of the ir
d r i l l i n g and t r a i n i ng as recruits u n t il they we re sent o u t ."
No comments:
Post a Comment