1857 revolt news clippings: Reports went from fair to pro-British

MEERUT: 158 years ago, on May 10, sepoys of the East India Company stationed at Meerut, turned against their British officers triggering what went on to become the biggest revolt against the British by their Indian subjects. How were the events of those tumultuous times reported and recorded?

Amit Pathak, a city-based historian, has in his possession a rare set of original newspapers that chronicled what was later referred to as the 'Indian Mutiny of 1857.' "The Illustrated London News and Illustrated Times, which I acquired in an online auction, covered in great detail the events of 1857, and are perhaps the only exhaustive documents existing presently which chronicle how the British press viewed the Revolt, " says Pathak.

These newspapers, adds Pathak, are unique since they contain original lithographs (old prints) of action scenes of 1857 and also pictures of freedom fighters like Tantya Tope and Begum Hazrat Mahal which are not available anywhere else.

"When one goes through the reporting in these papers, it is quite evident that during the first few months, the reportage was balanced and unbiased, but later the event coverage seemed to be tilted in favour of the British," says the historian, who has also authored a book titled '1857: Living History.'

Particularly interesting is the news report which first chronicled that the revolt had taken place. "In this day and age when news of any event is almost instantaneous, it would be difficult to imagine that the first report of the uprising was published on June 13, almost a month after the event in The Illustrated London News," says Pathak.

The report stated, "A telegraphic despatch received at Bombay from Meerut states that the 3rd Bengal Cavalry were in open mutiny, and that several officers and men had been killed and wounded."

The first few days of reporting, he says, gave a largely unbiased view of the incident. "When one goes through the contents of these papers, one can sense the great amount of uncertainty that prevailed in Britain at that time. No one at that time knew what would be the outcome of the uprising, whether India will attain its independence and what repercussions will it have on the other colonies of the Great Britain. There were also apprehensions about the well-being of the British citizens who were 'trapped' in India at that point of time. These newspapers carry the emotions, the excitement and feelings of individuals who are experiencing the events in real time."

Some reports were also introspective, questing why the army had turned against its officers. On July 18, 1857, Illustrated Times wrote, "'We believe that the Indian mutiny points to the fact that there is something radically and extensively wrong in our whole governing system there."

"This kind of introspective words are very important and are found only in these early newspapers. I believe they truly reflect the sentiments prevalent in British society at that time," says Pathak, who spent almost two years researching and purchasing these newspapers through various online forums.

"I don't regret the time spent in acquiring this priceless mirror to an important period of history. They are more than their weight in gold."