Rani Gaidinliu
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Rani Gaidinliu | |
---|---|
Born | Gaidinliu Pamei 26 October 1915 Nungkao village, Manipur, British India |
Died | 17 February 1993 Longkao, Manipur, India | (aged 78)
Nationality | Indian |
Occupation(s) | Spiritual and political leader of the Zeliangrong Nagas |
Known for | Armed resistance against the British Raj |
Parents |
|
Awards | Padma Bhushan (1982), Tamrapatra Freedom Fighter Award (1972), Vivekananda Seva Award (1983) |
Gaidinliu Pamei (26 January 1915 – 17 February 1993) popularly known as Rani Gaidinliu was a
She was released in 1947 after India's independence, and continued to work for the upliftment of her people. An advocate of the ancestral Naga religious practices, she staunchly resisted the conversion of Nagas to Christianity. She was honoured as a freedom fighter and was awarded a Padma Bhushan by the Government of India.
Early life
Gaidinliu was born on 26 January 1915 at Nungkao (or Longkao) village in the present-day Tousem sub-division of
As Haipou Jadonang's disciple
In 1927, when she was just 13, Gaidinliu joined the
Rebellion and incarceration
The British arrested and killed Jadonang by hanging on 29 August 1931 in Imphal. He was charged for treason due to the death of four Meitei traders in Longkao over violation of a social taboo; Jadonang had no role in the killings.[3] Gaidinliu, then, emerged as his spiritual and political heir.[6]
She openly rebelled against the British rule, exhorting the Zeliangrong people not to pay taxes. She received donations from the local Nagas, many of whom also joined her as volunteers. The British authorities launched a manhunt for her. She evaded arrest by the police, moving across villages in what are now Assam, Nagaland and Manipur. The Governor of Assam dispatched the 3rd and 4th battalions of the Assam Rifles against her, under the supervision of the Naga Hills Deputy Commissioner JP Mills. Monetary rewards were declared for information leading to her arrest: this included a declaration that any village providing information on her whereabouts will get a 10-year tax break. Her forces engaged the Assam Rifles in armed conflicts in the North Cachar Hills (16 February 1932) and the Hangrum village (18 March 1932).[citation needed]
In October 1932, Gaidinliu moved to the Pulomi village, where her followers started building a wooden fortress. While the fortress was under construction, an Assam Rifles contingent headed by Captain MacDonald launched a surprise attack on the village on 17 October 1932. Gaidinliu, along with her followers, was arrested without any resistance near the Kenoma village. Gaidinliu denied that she had any role in the attack on the Hangrum post of the Assam Rifles or the construction of the fort.[2] In December 1932, her followers from the Leng and the Bopungwemi villages murdered the Kuki chowkidar (watchman) of the Lakema Inspection Bungalow in the Naga Hills, suspecting him to be the informer who led to her arrest. Gaidinliu was taken to Imphal, where she was convicted on the charges of murder and abetment of murder after a 10-month trial. She was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Political Agent's Court for abetment of murder.[7] Most of her associates were either executed or jailed.[8]
She established tribal organization like Kabni Samiti in 1934.[9]
From 1933 to 1947 she served time at the
Life in independent India
After the Interim Government of India was set up in 1946, Rani Gaidinliu was released on Prime Minister Nehru's orders from Tura jail, having spent 14 years in various prisons. She continued to work for the upliftment of her people after her release. She stayed at Vimrap village of Tuensang with her younger brother Marang till 1952. In 1952, she was finally allowed to move back to her native village of Longkao. In 1953, Prime Minister Nehru visited Imphal where Rani Gaidinliu met and conveyed to him the gratitude and goodwill of her people. Later she met Nehru in Delhi to discuss the development and welfare of Zeliangrong people.[citation needed]
Gaidinliu was opposed to the
In 1966, after six years of hard underground life in old age, under an agreement with the Government of India, Rani Gaidinliu came out from her jungle hideout to work for the betterment of her people through peaceful, democratic and non-violent means. She went to Kohima on 20 January 1966, and met the Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri in Delhi on 21 February 1966, demanding the creation of a separate Zeliangrong administrative unit. On 24 September 320 of her followers surrendered at Henima. Some of them were absorbed into the Nagaland Armed Police.[citation needed]
During her stay at Kohima, she was conferred "Tamrapatra Freedom Fighter Award" in 1972, the Padma Bhushan (1982)[11] and the Vivekananda Seva Award (1983).[citation needed]
Awards
- Tamrapatra Freedom Fighter Award-1972
- Padma Bhushan-1982
- Vivekananda Seva Award-1983
- Birsa Munda Award-posthumously
Death
In 1991, Gaidinliu returned to her birthplace Longkao, where she died on 17 February 1993 at the age of 78.[12][13]
The
Rani Gaidinliu was also conferred the Birsa Munda Award posthumously. The Government of India issued a postal stamp in her honour in 1996. The Government of India issued a commemorative coin in her honour in 2015.[14]
Legacy
Because of the Heraka movement's hostility towards Christianity, Gaidinliu's heroics were not acknowledged highly among the Nagas, most of whom had converted to Christianity by the 1960s. The Naga nationalist groups don't recognize her either, because she was considered close to the Government of India. When the Hindu nationalist Sangh Parivar aligned with the Heraka movement in the 1970s, the perception that she was a promoter of Hinduism grew stronger among the Christian Nagas.[15]
In 2015, when the Central government and T. R. Zeliang's state government decided to construct a Gaidinliu memorial hall, several civil society organizations in the Nagaland state opposed the move.[16]
References
- ISBN 978-81-88322-09-1. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8264-3970-3. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
- ^ ISSN 0971-5215.
- ^ Rani Gaidinliu – the true freedom fighter, India-north-east.com
- ^ 97th birth anniversary of Rani Gaidinliu observed. Assam Tribune, 30 January 2012.
- ISBN 978-81-7041-859-7. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
- Sir Robert Reid, page 86.
- ^ The Rani Of The Nagas by Pritam Sengupta. Outlook, 22 August 2005.
- ISBN 9788123025216.
- ^ Amit Kumar Nag (1976). Rani Gaidinliu: A Study of the Jadonang Movement of the Nagas. Tribal Mirror Publications. p. 18. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
- ^ "Padma Awards" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
- ^ Rani Gaidinliu. Eastern Panorama.
- ^ Remembering Rani Gaidinliu and her legacy. E-pao.net. Retrieved on 29 November 2018.
- ^ Commemorative Coin. Indianexpress.com. Retrieved on 29 November 2018.
- ^ Rahul Karmakar (14 June 2015). "Rani Gaidinliu: A Naga queen and BJP's spin machine". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 14 June 2015.
- ^ Prasanta Mazumdar (23 August 2015). "Nagaland Outfit Joins Chorus Against Rani Memorial". Indian Express. Archived from the original on 15 February 2016.