Racing Back in Time : National Movement Revisited

The East

We reached 1696 Calcutta and checked into a 'Time Travellers' Inn'. We then set out to the banks of the river Hugli.

"Wow grandma. The air is so fresh here", said Advik.

"Indeed. Even I come to the past often to get some breather", I said.

When we reached the banks, it was brimming with activity. The East India Company was standing tall and wide.

"This factory was set up in 1651, right?" asked Pranit.

"Yes Pranit", I said.

"I can see that they are building a fort here", said Advik.

"Yes. As trade expanded, the Company persuaded merchants and traders to come and settle near the factory. They even started building a fort to protect their trade activities. This fort is known as Fort William", I said.

After a brief selfie and photo session, we set out to Plassey (now Palashi) in West Bengal dated 23rd June 1757.

"Are we here to witness the Battle of Plassey?", asked Advik.

"Yes", I said. "But only for ten minutes. We need to cover two more places before night".

"Who are the main opponents of this battle?" asked Pranit.

"The battle was fought between Robert Clive and Siraj-Ud-Daulah, the Nawab of Bengal. Siraj-Ud-Daulah was assisted by French troops. This battle sparked the reign of the British in India. That is why, this is often termed as the 'decisive event', as it gave the British immense confidence to colonise India", I explained.

We were in the middle of the battlefield when there was a heavy downpour. Hence, I had to cancel my plan of taking my grandsons to the river Bhagirathi. We went under a rock to avoid getting drenched. When I took out my time machine, Advik asked, "The Battle of Buxar was also fought between the East India Company and the Mughals right?"

"Yes. It was fought on 23rd October 1764. Can we go there too?" I asked.

"No grandma. Enough of bloodshed. We don't want to see Indians losing. Take us to a place where India wins", said Pranit.

"I guess somebody is becoming too patriotic", I joked.

We then came back to 1696 Calcutta to refresh ourselves and charge my time machine. Soon after, we set out to Champaran dated 10th April 1917. We had a tough time searching for Mahatma Gandhi and his team. Luckily, we had another time travelling family for company. We set out in different directions to look for Gandhiji and finally found him. Along with him were Brajkishore Prasad, Rajendra Prasad, Anugrah Narayan Sinha and Acharya Kriplani.

"People here look too poor and sad grandma", said Pranit.

"Yes Pranit", I said sadly. "They were forced to grow indigo and other cash crops instead of food crops. They were not even paid properly".

"Why were they forced to grow indigo?" asked Advik.

"That is because India was the biggest supplier of high-quality indigo in the world. By making Indians cultivate indigo, the British could sell it at a higher rate in the European market", I said.

After taking selfies with Gandhiji in the background, we bid farewell to the other time travelling family.

"It's already 7 pm in the present. What do you say? Are we done for the day?" I asked my grandsons.

"No, we want to visit one more place", they said with excitement.

"Oh, I thought the National Movement was boring", I said sarcastically.

"We were wrong grandma", said Pranit quite embarrassed.

We then reached Barrackpore dated 29th March 1857. When we reached the Barrackpore parade ground, Sergeant Major James Hewson was already present there. Suddenly, he was shot by Mangal Pandey and there was a commotion. We went to a safe place to avoid violence.

"Why did Mangal Pandey shoot James Hewson?" asked Advik.

"See, the British introduced a new type of rifle that required the soldiers to bite off the ends of the cartridge to load the gun. The lubricant being used in the rifles' cartridge was believed to be of either cow or pig skin, which would hurt the sentiments of Hindus and Muslims. Hence, Mangal Pandey decided to rebel against his commanders", I explained. "This was the first major incident of what came to be known as the 'Sepoy Mutiny' or the 'Revolt of 1857'."

"We want to know more about Sepoy Mutiny", said Advik.

"Sure. We shall see that tomorrow", I said.

We then came back to 1696 Calcutta and spent the night at the Time Travellers' Inn.

"Grandma, what is the plan for tomorrow?", asked Pranit.

"We shall first go to Dandi and then move to North India", I said.

My grandsons wanted to chat with their alien friends on Mars and I had a difficult time getting them to talk to me. We then discussed everything under the Sun. I even told them about my past.

"We are so gifted that we are born at this time. We have everything at our fingertips", said Pranit after finding out about my past.

"Haha. Having everything is not a gift, my child", I said. "Limitations make life beautiful and worth-living. If you have everything, you lose zeal. In the end, you only end up living a 'something-is-missing' kind of life."

That night, my mind was full of thoughts. "How the world has changed", I thought. From 'one big happy place' full of humanity and emotions, the world has completely transformed into a cage of automation and monotony filled with unspirited people. I was happy that I wouldn't live to see this for long.