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Jhansi ki Rani – Rani Lakshmi Bai Rani Lakshmi Bai was the queen of the princely state of Jhansi, which is located on the northern side of India. She was one of the most leading personalities of the first war of India’s independence that started in 1857. In this article, we will present you with the biography of Jhansi ki Rani – Rani Lakshmi Bai, who was the epitome of bravery and courage.

Jhansi ki Rani - Rani Lakshmi Bai Jhansi ki Rani – Rani Lakshmi Bai Content Early life ‘Meri Jhansi nahin doongi Fight of Kalpi Sacrifice of the life on the altar of freedom Unknown qualities of ‘Ranaragini Rani Lakshmibai’ ! Poem – Jhansi Ki Rani Poem on Samadhi of queen of Jhansi Early life of Jhansi ki Rani – Rani Lakshmi Bai She was born to a Maharashtrian family at Kashi (now Varanasi) in the year 18 November 1835. During her childhood, she was called by the name Manikarnika. Affectionately, her family members called her Manu. At a tender age of four, she lost her mother. As a result, the responsibility of raising her fell upon her father. While pursuing studies, she also took formal training in martial arts, which included horse riding, shooting and fencing. To know the complete life history of Jhansi ki Rani – Rani Lakshmi Bai, read on.

In the year 1842, she got married to the Maharaja of Jhansi, Raja Gangadhar Rao Newalkar. On getting married, she was given the name Lakshmi Bai. Her wedding ceremony was held at the Ganesh temple, located in the old city of Jhansi. In the year 1851, she gave birth to a son. Unfortunately, the child did not survive more than four months.

In the year 1853, Gangadhar Rao fell sick and became very weak. So, the couple decided to adopt a child. To ensure that the British do not raise an issue over the adoption, Jhansi ki Rani – Rani Lakshmi Bai got this adoption witnessed by the local British representatives. On 21st November 1853, Maharaja Gangadhar Rao died.

‘Meri Jhansi Nahin Doongi’ On 7th March 1854, the British issued a gazette dissolving the State of Jhansi. Rani Lakshmibai was enraged due to the injustice when an English officer, Major Ellis came to meet Jhansi ki Rani – Rani Lakshmi Bai. He read out the official declaration dissolving the State. The furious Rani Lakshmibai told Ellis ‘‘Meri Jhansi Nahin Doongi (I shall not part with my Jhansi)’ when he sought her permission to leave. Ellis heard her and left. Battle of 1857 The battle for freedom that started from January 1857 engulfed even Meerut on 10th May.

Along with Meerut, Delhi and Bareilly, Jhansi also was freed from the British rule. Three years after Jhansi was freed, Rani Lakshmibai took over the control of Jhansi and she made preparations to defend Jhansi from the likely attack by the British. Sir Hugh Rose was appointed by the British to capture Rani Lakshmibai, alive. On 20th March 1858, Sir Huge encamped with his army 3 miles away from Jhansi and sent a message to her that she should surrender; but rather than surrendering, she stood on the rampart of her fort motivating her army to fight with the British. The battle started. Jhansi canons started routing the British. Even after 3 days of continuous firing, the fort of Jhansi could not be attacked; therefore, Sir Hugh decided to adopt the path of treachery. Finally, on 3rd April, the army of Sir Hugh Rose entered Jhansi.

The soldiers started looting people. Jhansi ki Rani – Rani Lakshmi Bai decided to join Peshava by breaking the bloc of the enemy. In the night, with her troupe of trusted 200 cavalry, she tied her 12 year old son Damodar to her back and raising the slogan of ‘Jai Shankar’ left her fort. She penetrated the British bloc and rode towards Kalpi. Her father Moropant was with her. While breaking the faction of the British army, her father got injured, was captured by the British and was hanged.

Fight of Kalpi After riding continuously for 24 hours covering a distance of 102 miles, the Rani reached Kalpi. Peshava judged the situation and decided to help her. He provided his squads of army to her as per her requested requirement. On 22nd May, Sir Hugh Rose attacked Kalpi. Jhansi ki Rani – Rani Lakshmi Bai rushed to the front like lightening whilst holding her sword. Her forceful attack resulted in a setback for the British army. Sir Hugh Rose disturbed with this setback brought his reserved camel troops onto the battlefield. The fresh reinforcement of the army affected the ardour of the revolutionaries and Kalpi was taken over by the British on 24th May. Defeated Raosaheb Peshave, Nawab of Banda, Tatya Tope, Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi and all the chieftains gathered at Gopalpur. Jhansi ki Rani – Rani Lakshmi Bai suggested taking over Gwalior. Shinde, the Ruler of Gwalior, was pro-British. Jhansi ki Rani – Rani Lakshmi Bai won over Gwalior and handed it over to Peshava.

Sacrifice of life on the altar of freedom Sir Hugh Rose had heard about the defeat of Gwalior by Rani Lakshmibai. He realized that the situation could go out of control if time was wasted; therefore, he marched towards Gwalior. Lakshmibai and Peshva decided to fight the British as Sir Hugh Rose touched Gwalior. Lakshmibai took it upon herself to safeguard the East side of Gwalior. The unprecedented valour of Laksmibai inspired her army; even her maids attired in men’s uniform took to the battlefield. The bravery of Lakshmibai, resulted in the retreat of the British army.

On 18th June, the British attacked Gwalior from all sides. She decided to break the enemy front and go out rather than surrendering. While breaking the military front, she came across a garden. She was not riding her ‘Rajratan’ horse. The new horse started going round and round near a canal instead of jumping and crossing it. Jhansi ki Rani – Rani Lakshmi Bai realized the consequences and turned back to attack the British army. She got injured, started bleeding and fell from her horse. Being in a man’s costume, the soldiers did not recognize her and left her there. The faithful servants of Rani took her to a nearby Gangadas Mutt and gave her Gangajal. She expressed her last wish that her body should not be touched by any British men and embraced a brave death. The revolutionaries all over the world, the organization of Sardar Bhagat Singh and in the end even the army of Netaji Subhashchandra Bose were inspired by the valour shown by Jhansi ki Rani – Rani Lakshmi Bai. The Jhansi ki Rani – Rani Lakshmi Bai breathed her last at the young age of 23 years.

She inspired many generations of Hindustani’s, thus becoming immortal in the freedom fight. We bow before such a brave warrior, the Jhansi ki Rani – Rani Lakshmi Bai. The life history of the Jhansi ki Rani – Rani Lakshmi Bai, who preferred to sacrifice her life at the young age of 23 years in battle, is very inspiring. She surprised the British by showing extraordinary fighting spirit and valour in battles fought at Jhansi, then Kalpi and lastly at Gwalior. The British Major Sir Hugh Rose had to come down to treachery so as to be able to win over the fort of Jhansi. Such an extraordinary lady, who tied her son on her back while fighting the battle, will not be found in the history of the world. The valour and brave death she chose, which gave inspiration to the patriots belonging to the ‘Gadar’ party in the First World War, the organization of Shahid Bhagat Singh and to all revolutionaries from Swatatntryaveer Savarkar to Subhashchandra, is magnificent. Lot of literature has been written on the life history of Jhansi ki Rani – Rani Lakshmi Bai. Heroic poems have been composed in her honor.

Source: ASEER

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I have spent significant time updating the wiki page about Scythian Society ... please help in making sure the edits do not get reverted as the former page had reserach from 1990 and essentially erased these women from history... my edits are below and you can find them at the page ..feel free to copy/paste them as your own if you see they were deleted!

wiki link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scythians The historical record and archaeological evidence suggest that Scythian women held positions of power and status in their society. Appian's Mithridatic Wars, written in the 2nd century CE, validates the warrior and sovereign status of Scythian women by mentioning "female rulers of Scythia" among the procession of captured kings and generals after Pompey's victory over Mithridates VI. This reference indicates that female rulership was a shared and co-operative tradition in Scythian society.In addition, Herodotus describes Tomyris, a Scythian warrior-queen, defeating Cyrus the Great in battle in the 6th century BCE, further suggesting a tradition of female sovereignty. Archaeological excavations have also uncovered evidence of Scythian women holding positions of power. For example, in 1993, excavators found a rich burial site of a Scythian female at Ak-Alakha on the Ukok plateau in the Altai mountains, surrounded by six saddled horses and buried with objects of status. This suggests that she was likely one of the principal elites of her people. Moreover, according to Cunliffe, excavations of Sarmatian and Scythian territories have revealed that a significant number of female warrior burials dating from the 5th to 4th centuries BCE have been found, indicating that Scythian women were actively involved in warfare and held high status within their society. Overall, these historical and archaeological records suggest that Scythian women were not only warriors but also held positions of power and influence in their society. Recently, evidence confirmed by the full-genomic analysis of a Scythian child's remains found in a coffin made of a larch trunk, which was discovered in Saryg-Bulun in Central Tuva, revealed that the individual, previously thought to be male because it had items that were associated with the belief that Scythian society was male-dominated, was actually female. Along with the leather skirt, the burial also contained a leather headdress painted with red pigment, a coat sewn from jerboa fur, a leather belt with bronze ornaments and buckles, a leather quiver with arrows with painted ornaments on the shafts, a fully-preserved battle pick, and a bow. These items provide valuable insights into the material culture and lifestyle of the Scythians, including their hunting and warfare practices, and their use of animal hides for clothing. It should be noted that little is known about Scythian ordinary society, as the archaeological finds mostly represent the Scythian elite, and ancient sources primarily detail their military prowess. However, a comparison of their social structure with recent nomadic peoples suggests an inclination towards social equality. In many societies where women are not granted equal status, they are often expected to dress plainly and unremarkable; this contrasts with Scythian society, women were often buried with elaborate clothing and adornments, suggesting that they had the freedom to express themselves through their appearance as well as suggests a shared appreciation of fashion and luxury goods, with women having equal access to them. TheRightofHerWay (talk) 05:01, 8 April 2023 (UTC)