THE BRAVE RANI OF JHANSI

        Rani Lakshmi Bai was born on 19 November 1828 at Poona. Her actual name was Manikarnika. Her father Moropant Tambe was a court advisor, and mother Bhagirathi was a scholarly woman. At a very early age she lost her mother. She grew up with Nana Sahib and Tantia Tope.In 1842, Rani Lakshmi Bai got married to Raja Gangadhar Rao . 
        After her marriage, she came to be known as Lakshmi Bai. In 1851, she gave birth to a son but unfortunately he died in his fourth month. Lord Dalhousie, the Governor-General of India at that time, was a very shrewd person who tried to take advantage of the misfortune of Jhansi to expand the British Empire.
         

The British rulers did not accept little Damodar Rao.Their plan was to annex Jhansi on the ground that it did not have any legal heir. In March 1854, Rani of Jhansi was granted an annual pension of 60,000 and was ordered to leave the Jhansi fort.In March 1858, when the British attacked Jhansi, Rani Lakshmi Bai’s army decided to fight and the war continued for about two weeks.
          

 The army fought very bravely, even though Jhansi lost to the British forces. After a fierce war when the British army entered Jhansi, Rani Lakshmi Bai, tied her son Damodar Rao to her back and fought bravely using two swords in both her hands. 
          She escaped to the fortress of Kalpi under the cover of darkness and was accompanied by many other rebellions. She departed to Gwalior and a fierce battle was fought between the British and the Rani’s army. On the unfortunate day of 17 June of 1858, this great warrior martyred her life for India’s freedom.