Ajijan Begum - The freedom struggle of 1857 - GovtVacancy.Net
Posted on 15-06-2022
The name of Ajijan Begum, a woman who sang and dance in Kanpur, is particularly noteworthy among the sacrificed women of the freedom struggle of 1857. Ajijan Begum was born in 1832. She was born in Lucknow.
Contact with revolutionaries
Later on, Ajijan, who was unfortunate, came to Kanpur and started singing and dancing with the famous Tawaif Umrao Jaan Ada. It was here that he came into contact with the revolutionaries. On the call of Nana Saheb, Ajijan formed an armed force of women to compete with the British and took charge of it himself.
As a warrior
The famous British historian Sir George Trevelyan has described him as a warrior - soldiers on horseback dressed in many robes and with pistols in hand Ajijan went on trampling British soldiers like lightning. A cavalry contingent of women also roamed with her. Giving weapons to soldiers, drinking water to thirsty soldiers, and taking care of the wounded were her important tasks. Pt. Sunderlal has written in his book ' English Raj in India ' that after the capture of the rebels on Kanpur, it was Ajijan who instigated the rebels to kill the captive British women and children.
Martyr
She probably did this out of anger and hatred due to the inhuman atrocities of the British. Ultimately Ajijan was arrested and brought before the British commander Sir Henry Havelock. On the condition of revealing the address of Azim Ullah Khan, a Muslim revolutionary, he was promised an apology. Ajijan categorically refused to do so. In the end, she was martyred after being shot by the British while chanting the name of 'Hindustan Amar Rahe'.