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Letters, prison sketches and autobiographical literature

The case of Fadl-e Haqq Khairabadi in the Andaman Penal Colony

University of Erfurt Germany

For a long time, the Indian revolt of 1857 was known as the ‘Sepoy Mutiny’. This of course was from the perspective of colonial historiography, which later was challenged by nationalist historians of various camps, who considered this event as a marker of the .first war of independence . in India against the British. It is, however, astonishing to note that in both major narratives of the history of 1857, the life and works of Fadl-e Haqq Khairabadi (1797–1861) gains no attention. He was one of the first political prisoners of colonial times, who not only resigned from the post of kutchery chief and is said to have issued a fatwa-e jihad against the British, but also drafted the first constitution of Independent India based on the .principles of democracy.. Besides being a scholar of Islamic studies and theology, he was also a literary personage, especially in Arabic literature. On account of his deep knowledge and erudition he was called .Allama and later was venerated as a great Sufi. Khairabadi was not a marginal character in the history of 1857, yet somehow his presence in history has been undermined, if not totally ignored, by mainstream historians. Though Khairabadi remains alive in Urdu and Persian literature, we hardly find vernacular voices being heard in historical accounts that are important to ascertain the nature of the 1857 revolt. In order to establish this argument, this article relies heavily upon sources such as letters, autobiographical notes, prison literature and vernacular literature as the basis for a reconstruction of history that assists us in understanding whether the revolt was aimed at restoring the old order, or whether traditional historiography follows .traditionalisation. that ultimately corresponds to the politics of colonial restoration. Indeed, it is important to mention here that the case of Khairabadi helps us in understanding mutual perception at the cross-section of European and non-European encounters.

Indian Economic & Social History Review, Vol. 43, No. 1, 77-100 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/001946460504300104


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