Donnerstag, 30. September 2010

Things I study IV

"The use of the Indian Army to extend and secure Britain's empire througout the vast region 'east of Suez' was no new phenomenon in 1875. The East India Company, from days of its first conquest, had deployed Indian troops eastward in Manila, Sumatra, and Malacca and to the west of India in Mauritius, the Persian Gulf, and Aden. Company troups participated as well in both opium wars in China [and in] the 1855 Persian war and the successive campaigns in Burma.[...]
India remained always, to be sure, a subordinate partner in the larger British Empire, but from Africa to eastern Asia, its army made possible that empire's very existence."

Metcalf, Thomas R.: "Imperial Connections - India in the Indian Ocean Area 1860-1920", Berkeley/Los Angeles 2007, S.68f.

Dienstag, 28. September 2010

Freitag, 24. September 2010

Freitag, 17. September 2010

On the battle of Bobbili, January 1757

"Only Padala Rama and Vangala Ravu manage to survive, the latter with eight wounds on his left side. He wants to return to the fort, but Haidar Jang's nephew, Lal Khan, intercepts him and challenges him to a duel. The muslim strikes Vengala Ravu on his forehead, and blood streams out on to the ground; Vengala Ravu refuses even to bind up the wound with his handkerchief. He strikes down Lal Khan's horse and then disembowels Lal Khan himself, who dies crying 'Allah, Allah!'
But in the confusion, Padala Ramais hit in the head and dies crying 'Narayana, Narayana!' At this ecumenical juncture, Vengala Ravu is captured and brought to [De] Bussy. [...]
All in all - 12,000 are dead. Vijaya Rama Raju is incensed; he urges Bussy to kill Vangala Ravu, who has caused these causalities. Bussy explains to him that killing prisoners is forbidden by 'the French sastra'. But Vengala Ravu has overheard this discussion. 'Why should I die at the hands of someone else?' He takes his sword and kills himself with the cry 'Govinda, Govinda!' [...]
Then Ranga Ravu enters his royal palace. He slays his mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, seven aunts, four more daughters [...].
Some of the women of the harem try to hide behind one another, but it does not do them any good. Those who are menstruating are shot, since the king cannot touch them. Pregnant women, nursing infants, little children reading books - all are killed by the king. Finally, he kills his proud queen [...]
Thirty-two maidservants are still left; the king offers them gold and tells them to leave the fort, but they refuse:
'We can't go west and eat French food'."

Rao, V.N., Shulman, D., Subrahmanyam, S.: "Textures of Time: Writing History in South India 1600-1800 ", Delhi 2001, S.36ff.