A poet of the Lucknow court lost his patron when the kingdom of Awadh was formally annexed to the British Empire. In which year did this annexation take place?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → 1856
Option (1) 1801 — Incorrect. 1801 is the year the Subsidiary Alliance was imposed on Awadh. Under it the Nawab had to disband his military force and accept a British Resident at his court. Awadh still remained a kingdom under its Nawab, so this year marks only an early stage of the conquest.
Option (2) 1851 — Incorrect. 1851 is the year Governor General Lord Dalhousie described Awadh as "a cherry that will drop into our mouth one day". The remark showed growing British interest in the territory. The formal takeover came five years after this remark.
Option (3) 1856 — Correct. Awadh was formally annexed to the British Empire in 1856, five years after Dalhousie's cherry remark. Nawab Wajid Ali Shah was dethroned and exiled to Calcutta, and the court and its culture were dissolved. Poets, musicians and other people of the court lost their livelihood.
Option (4) 1857 — Incorrect. 1857 is the year of the revolt, when sepoys, taluqdars and peasants of Awadh rose against British rule. By then the annexation of the state was already a fresh memory for the people of Lucknow. The poet's loss of his patron had come before this rising.
NCERT (2026-27): “2.1 “A cherry that will drop into our mouth one day” |