Musical: Sepoy Mutiny
---Welcome to India, where people finally started to rebel against imperialism!!!
How did it start? ---from a new British rifle gun: The Enfield P53
The Enfield P53 was introduced to Indian troops under British colonization in 1856.
The Enfield still used paper cartridges containing powder and the shot ball. To load it, the rifleman would bite off the cartridge top, poor the powder down the muzzle, put in the paper, and then the shot, tamping it all down to the bottom. However, the cartridges were rumored to be greased with oil made from animal fat – the fat of sacred cows being taboo to Hindus and the fat of pigs being repulsive to Muslims.
The Enfield P53 was introduced to Indian troops under British colonization in 1856.
The Enfield still used paper cartridges containing powder and the shot ball. To load it, the rifleman would bite off the cartridge top, poor the powder down the muzzle, put in the paper, and then the shot, tamping it all down to the bottom. However, the cartridges were rumored to be greased with oil made from animal fat – the fat of sacred cows being taboo to Hindus and the fat of pigs being repulsive to Muslims.
Before that, the introduction of rail lines and telegraphy had already spread fear of being overwhelmed by the British among common Indians, who also feared being Christianized by the British. Rebellion against rule by foreigners came in 1857 from the Sepoys--those the British East India Company had hired as troops. Nobody could say for sure whether or not the rumors were true, but the accumulated resent toward the British could turn everything into the trigger to rebellion. In May 1857, a soldier shot his commander for forcing the Indian troops to use the new rifles. Violence against the British spread among the Sepoys, and it spread as leading landowners encouraged revolt among civilians--the landlords who hoped to regain losses from land reform that the British had imposed on them. The revolt spread to Kanpur, on the Ganges River 250 miles southeast of Delhi, and it spread to Lucknow, 45 miles northeast of Kanpur. A leading participant in the rebellion was Bahadur Shah II, a Sufi Muslim of the Mughal Dynasty, whose diminishing empire had been protected by the East India Company centering in Delhi. Looking to drive the British from India there started what Indians would view as their first war of independence--the Sepoy Mutiny.
Imperialism Theme Park now featuring musical: The Sepoy Mutiny!!!
When religion being ignored, when tradition being humiliated, when racial backgrounds being overlooked, a group of sepoys, with their passions and dreams of freedom, decided to stand up for their freedom! It was the bravery daunting authorities and military advantages. It was courage that couldn't be put out easily. Sparked with a single trigger, there started Sepoy Mutiny, and the flaming nationalism!
One rebellious sepoy, Aadash, got the newly invented British rifle after a day of hard work in the army. When he was trained, he couldn't believe he was asked to bite off the end of the ammunition cartridge--greased with cow fat. As a devout Hindi, he refused to do so. However, the enraged British commander decided to make the sepoys learn to obey commands, by threatening to kill all their family. Aadash's fiance, Chahna, was on the verge of an execution. What will he do? Will Aadash eventually stand up as a lover or a fighter?
When religion being ignored, when tradition being humiliated, when racial backgrounds being overlooked, a group of sepoys, with their passions and dreams of freedom, decided to stand up for their freedom! It was the bravery daunting authorities and military advantages. It was courage that couldn't be put out easily. Sparked with a single trigger, there started Sepoy Mutiny, and the flaming nationalism!
One rebellious sepoy, Aadash, got the newly invented British rifle after a day of hard work in the army. When he was trained, he couldn't believe he was asked to bite off the end of the ammunition cartridge--greased with cow fat. As a devout Hindi, he refused to do so. However, the enraged British commander decided to make the sepoys learn to obey commands, by threatening to kill all their family. Aadash's fiance, Chahna, was on the verge of an execution. What will he do? Will Aadash eventually stand up as a lover or a fighter?
Starring: Rajesh Khanna, Dharmendra Amitabh Bachchan, Shahrukh Khan, and Akshay Kumar