The vision of unity

The rebel proclamations of 1857 reveal a deliberate and remarkable attempt to forge a unified front against British rule. The leaders of the uprising understood that the only way to challenge the military and administrative power of the Company was to bring together the diverse communities of India. This vision of unity was not just a tactical move; it was rooted in a memory of a shared past.

Appeals across caste and creed

The proclamations, or ishtahars, were addressed to all sections of the population, "irrespective of their caste and creed." Even though many of these proclamations were issued by Muslim princes or in their names, they took great care to address the sentiments of Hindus. The rebellion was consistently portrayed as a war in which both Hindus and Muslims had equally to lose or gain. The ishtahars deliberately harked back to the pre-British Hindu-Muslim past, glorifying the coexistence of different communities under the Mughal Empire.

One striking example is the proclamation issued under the name of Bahadur Shah, the titular Mughal emperor. It appealed to the people to join the fight under the standards of both Muhammad and Mahavir — a direct and powerful symbol of religious unity.

The failure of British divide-and-rule

The textbook notes that during the uprising, religious divisions between Hindus and Muslims were "hardly noticeable," despite active British attempts to create such divisions. A specific instance is given: in Bareilly, western Uttar Pradesh, in December 1857, the British spent Rs 50,000 to incite the Hindu population against the Muslims. The attempt failed.

The Azamgarh Proclamation (25 August 1857)

This is one of the main sources for understanding what the rebels wanted. It is a detailed ishtahar that lays out grievances and promises for different social groups. The proclamation begins by stating that both Hindus and Muslims are being ruined under the "tyranny and oppression of the infidel and treacherous English." It calls it the "bounden duty" of wealthy people, especially those connected to the Mohammedan royal families, to stake their lives and property for the public well-being. It claims that Hindu and Muslim chiefs have joined a "reigning Indian crusade" and that succour is expected from the West. The proclamation warns that if this "golden opportunity" slips away, people will repent their folly.

The proclamation then addresses specific groups in separate sections:

What the sepoys thought: The arzi (petition)

A surviving arzi from rebel sepoys provides their own account of the causes of the revolt. They state that their forefathers had always served the British faithfully, and thousands of Indians had been sacrificed in British conquests without any revolt. The breaking point came in 1857.

The sepoys' arzi gives a specific sequence of events:

• The British issued new cartridges and muskets from England.
• The cartridges were rumoured to be mixed with the fats of cows and pigs.
• Atta (wheat flour) mixed with powdered bones was also distributed. …