Question

how was the revolt of 1857 responsible for the destruction of delhi Renaissance?

Answer 1

It was on May 10, 1857 that the Indian soldiers at the Meerut cantonment in modern UP revolted against the British. May 10, 1857 was a Sunday. The British officers at the Meerut cantonment in north India were preparing to attend church, while many other British soldiers were off duty.

Answer 2

THE 1857 upsurge is being celebrated and remembered from varied perspectives. The 150th anniversary of the event has generated widespread interest of scholars, leading to fresh investigations and also questioning of established stereotypes about the event. One issue that merits attention is the tumultuous impact of the Great Uprising on the intellectual life of Delhi, especially against the backdrop of the “Delhi Renaissance” (as it was called by C F Andrews) during the 1840s and 50s.

 

Delhi College or Dilli Kalij as it was generally known during those vibrant decades was the epicentre of this phenomenon called the Delhi Renaissance. Delhi College was one of the first institutions in India to initiate instruction in modern science through the local language. Despite its seminal contribution to the building of modern India, the institution and its teachers were perceived as disloyal by the rebels. Surely the involvement of Europeans with the institution, embracing of Christianity by a few celebrated teachers of the college, and the teaching of modern science—which was seen as part of the imperial baggage—were the three major stigmas that invited the wrath of the rebels. It could be seen in action on Monday, May 11, 1857, when the rebels entered the Kashmiri Gate building of the College and began looting and vandalising the library around 12 o’clock during the day. They chose all the English books on science, mathematics, history and other subjects and tore them apart, forming a thick layer in the garden of the college. Most of the Urdu, Arabic and Persian books were taken away and later sold for peanuts in the streets of Delhi. However, it will be interesting to look at the real character and role of the college and its teachers in the context of the 1857 uprising.