Which of the following representations of nationalist imagination about the ‘Revolt of 1857’ is incorrect?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Shyamdhari Singh Dinkar dedicated a poem to Rani of Jhansi.
The famous lines on the Rani of Jhansi that children in many parts of India grow up reading are by Subhadra Kumari Chauhan: “Khoob lari mardani woh to Jhansi wali rani thi” (Like a man she fought, she was the Rani of Jhansi).
Option (1) The Revolt of 1857 was celebrated as the First War of Independence. — Correct statement. In the nationalist imagination it was celebrated as the First War of Independence, in which all sections of the people came together against imperial rule.
Option (2) The leaders of the revolt were presented as heroic figures. — Correct statement. In art and literature the leaders were presented as heroic figures leading the country into battle.
Option (3) Rani of Jhansi was represented as a masculine figure. — Correct statement. She was represented as a masculine figure chasing the enemy, slaying British soldiers and fighting valiantly till her last.
Option (4) Shyamdhari Singh Dinkar dedicated a poem to Rani of Jhansi. — Incorrect statement. The poem on the Rani is by Subhadra Kumari Chauhan, not by the poet named here.
NCERT (2026-27): “5.6 Nationalist imageries … A whole world of nationalist imagination was woven around the revolt. It was celebrated as the First War of Independence in which all sections of the people of India came together to fight against imperial rule. Art and literature, as much as the writing of history, have helped in keeping alive the memory of 1857. The leaders of the revolt were presented as heroic figures leading the country into battle, rousing the people to righteous indignation against oppressive imperial rule. Heroic poems were written about the valour of the queen who, with a sword in one hand and the reins of her horse in the other, fought for the freedom of her motherland. Rani of Jhansi was represented as a masculine figure chasing the enemy, slaying British soldiers and valiantly fighting till her last. Children in many parts of India grow up reading the lines of Subhadra Kumari Chauhan: ‘Khoob lari mardani woh to Jhansi wali rani thi’ (Like a man she fought, she was the Rani of Jhansi).…” |