Jhansi Ki Rani Lakshmibai
Historical novel by author Vrindavanlal Verma
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Jhansi Ki Rani Lakshmibai is a historical novel by Hindi author Vrindavanlal Verma. It was first published in 1946.[1][2] From 1946 to 1948, the author also wrote a play with the same title, which was staged in 1955.[3] However, the novel gained greater fame and is considered a milestone in historical fiction in Hindi literature.[4] A reprint of the novel was issued in 1951.[5]
The novel is based on the life of Rani Lakshmibai, the queen of the Maratha-ruled Jhansi State during the British Raj in India. It also provides a modern interpretation of the Indian Rebellion of 1857.[6]
Reception
In the preface, Verma explains that the creation of the novel stemmed from his quest to determine whether Lakshmibai fought for swaraj (self-rule) or merely to preserve her own kingdom. He writes that the available written sources were insufficient, but his interviews and the stories he heard from people convinced him that she fought the British for swaraj.[7] As a result, the novel has also been seen as a form of personal historical recollection.[8]
The novel was published in 1949 and reprinted in 1951.[5] Before this, Verma had published several short stories and a few novels, but this work established him as an important figure in Hindi literature.[8]
One of the novel's key contributions was that Verma wrote it during a period when historical fiction was scarce in Hindi literature. His contributions not only enriched Hindi fiction in this genre, but later English scholars also declared these works as milestones.[4]
Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi once compared Verma's novel Garh Kundar to the works of English author Walter Scott. With later works like Jhansi Ki Rani and Mrignayani, Verma came to be known as the "Walter Scott of Hindi."[9][10]