Great Achievers - A great Indian revolutionary

This year is the 150th anniversary of the First India War of Independence.

Mangal Pandey, a figure from that period was popularised by actor Aamir Khan in his film, The Rising.

Pandey was a sepoy in the 34th Regiment of the Bengal Native Infantry, of the British East India Company. Born in the village of Nagwa in Uttar Pradesh, Pandey joined the East India Company forces in 1849 at the age of 22. Primarily famed for attacking his British officers in an incident that sparked off the war of 1857, Mangal Pandey's actions towards his officers were driven by religious and ideological motives. He is considered to be the first warrior in India's struggle for independence from British rule.

The primary motivation behind Mangal Pandey's behaviour was a new type of bullet cartridge used in the new Enfield P-53 rifle introduced in the Bengal Army that year. The cartridge was rumoured to be greased with animal fat, either pork or beef fat, which was not consumed by either Muslims or Hindus. The cartridges had to be bitten to remove the cover and that was abhorrent to the soldiers. The general feeling was that this action was intentional on the part of the British to defile the religions of India. In this context, the 19th Regiment was particularly important because it was charged with testing the new cartridges in February 1857 in Barrackpore, sixteen miles from Kolkata, by the banks of Hooghly river.

When the sepoys in that regiment refused to comply, they were dismissed from service. Present in Barrackpore along with the 19th Regiment, was the 34th Regiment which comprised amongst others some 335 Brahmins and 200 Muslims. On March 29, 1857, Mangal Pandey attacked and injured his British sergeant on the parade ground and wounded an adjutant with a sword. When his arrest was ordered by General Joyce Hearsay, Mangal Pandey tried to shoot himself. He failed, and was captured and sentenced to death.

He was hanged on April 8th, 1857. The attack by, and punishment of Mangal Pandey is widely seen as the triggering event of the Indian Rebellion of 1857.