Matadin Bhangi

Matadin Valmiki
Born
Meerut, Company India
Died
Company India
OccupationBritish East India Company
Known forIndian independence fighter[1]

Matadin Bhangi was an Indian freedom fighter who played a key part in the events immediately preceding the outbreak of the Indian rebellion of 1857.[2][3][4] He sowed seeds of the 1857 revolt.[5]

History

He was a Valmiki worker in a cartridge manufacturing unit of British East India Company. Working with leather and animal hide was considered as the occupation of low castes. One day Matadin asked Mangal Pandey, serving as a soldier, for water, but due to the caste difference, Pandey refused. Matadin made him realise that it was paradoxical to be proud of a high Caste Brahmin family, but still use cartridges made with the fat of cows and pigs. This propelled both Hindu and Muslim soldiers of the company to raise the banner of revolt.[6][7]

According to subaltern historians and Dalit activists, he should be recognised as the instigator of the revolt of 1857, because he made Pandey aware that their religious sentiments were not respected by the British.[7]

Legacy

In 2015, Meerut Municipal Corporation named Hapur Adda crossing at Meerut as Shaheed Matadin Chowk as a tribute to him.[8]

See also

References

  1. ^ Narayan, Badri (14 November 2006). Women Heroes and Dalit Assertion in North India: Culture, Identity and Politics. SAGE Publications. ISBN 9780761935377.
  2. ^ "UNWRITING HISTORY". The Telegraph. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  3. ^ "Dalits took part in 1857 revolt: Study". Rediff. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  4. ^ "A good time to mourn?". DNA India. 30 September 2007. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  5. ^ Bates, Crispin (30 October 2013). Mutiny at the Margins: New Perspectives on the Indian Uprising of 1857: Volume V: Muslim, Dalit and Subaltern Narratives. SAGE Publishing India. ISBN 9788132119029.
  6. ^ Kumar, Darshna (10 May 2019). "Back In Time: 162 Years Ago Today, India Took Its First Step Towards Independence With The Sepoy Mutiny". ED Times | The Youth Blog. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  7. ^ a b Bates, Crispin (30 October 2013). Mutiny at the Margins: New Perspectives on the Indian Uprising of 1857: Volume V: Muslim, Dalit and Subaltern Narratives. SAGE Publishing India. ISBN 9788132119029.
  8. ^ Sharma, Pankul (15 October 2015). "Three city roads to be renamed after historical figures". The Times of India. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
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