Rani Lakshmibai - तू खुद अमिट निशानी थी

Almost a goddess in India’s collective memory, Rani Lakshmibai is that singular woman whose life has become a symbol of heroism and patriotism. Working through the deification, perhaps one can get a glimpse of the real woman. Manikarnika had an unusual childhood for a girl in her time. Losing her mother at 4, she frequented the court of Peshwa Bajirao II, taking easily to horse riding, fencing and the rules of battle. She was also literate, confident and opinionated. A teenage bride of the much older Gangadhar Rao, King of Jhansi, she would soon face her next great loss: the death of their infant son Damodar Rao, and soon, her husband. Tragedy was only starting to unfold in Rani Lakshmibai’s life. Although the rulers had adopted an heir, Jhansi was annexed by the British in 1854 using the infamous Doctrine of Lapse, thus usurping her right to her kingdom. With war raging across the plains, she set up and trained her own army in 1857 to defend Jhansi. When all seemed lost, she escaped with her son tied to her back (tourist guides at the fort will point to the spot where they jumped over 200 ft off the rampart and escaped). Leading her forces to defend Gwalior, she was fatally injured on the battlefield and carried to a nearby temple where she breathed her last, asking her soldiers to burn her body so there would be no remains. Her Samadhi today is in a simple garden with her equestrian statue and a short tribute. 'Jhansi ki Rani’ is a name inextricable from the beautifully moving poem about her by Subhadra Kumari Chauhan (1930), its rhythmic cadence and evocative imagery known by children across the country. A nation’s way of remembering an indelible woman, this truly 'अमिट निशानी’.