Heroic poems about the Rani of Jhansi and popular prints of Rani Lakshmi Bai in battle armour are Indian images of the revolt of 1857. What did such imageries help to shape?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → The nationalist imagination
Option (1) The nationalist imagination — Correct. Images do not only reflect feelings, they also shape sensibilities. Nationalist poems and prints of 1857 helped build the nationalist imagination that inspired the national movement of the twentieth century.
Option (2) The movement for women's education — Incorrect. The Rani is shown as a warrior fighting for the freedom of her motherland. Her image served the cause of freedom from imperial rule and had no tie to schooling girls.
Option (3) The regional pride of Bundelkhand — Incorrect. Jhansi lies in Bundelkhand, but the Rani was celebrated across India. Children in many parts of India read Subhadra Kumari Chauhan's lines about her.
Option (4) The demand for a Mughal restoration — Incorrect. Some rebels of 1857 had rallied round the Mughal emperor. The later poems and prints looked ahead to freedom from imperial rule and had no aim of bringing back Mughal rule.
NCERT (2026-27): “5.6 Nationalist imageries … “These images did not only reflect the emotions and feelings of the times in which they were produced. They also shaped sensibilities. Fed by the images that circulated in Britain, the public sanctioned the most brutal forms of repression of the rebels. On the other hand, nationalist imageries of the revolt helped shape the nationalist imagination.” |