Glimpses of the Untold History of the Indian Freedom Struggle - Part 17
Under the leadership of Motibai and SardarManjunathPahadi, the group, disguised as Lamantribals, began exiting the forest in the opposite direction. From a clan of the Laman tribe of the ‘Khoonkighati’ (valley of blood) Motibai had managed to procure the Laman attire in exchange for a handsome sum. Also, the clan was travelling in a direction opposite to the British camp and so there was no cause for concern.
However, Motibai’s mind was not really at rest. Although they wore the typically Laman attire complete with the big bead jewelry, they did not have with them livestock that the Laman tribe invariably carried with them. The Laman clan had refused to part with their cattle. The group of twenty, dressed as Lamantribals, Motibai and Mundarbai included, headed for the ‘Paldhadi’ village. None had any idea why Motibai had chosen to travel to this village in particular. But none questioned her either.
At about daybreak, this group of twenty reached the outskirts of Paldhadi. Very near the outskirts stood a small temple of The Goddess Durga, which all were quite familiar with.
Motibai instructed all to pitch five tents close to the temple with the help of the material received from the Lamantribals. The tents had to appear exactly like those erected by the Laman clan. She then climbed onto a high rock behind the temple and sat there as if she were waiting for someone or was looking for an expected visitor.
Daylight would soon break, it was time. Each of them was convinced that horses had to be secured before daylight set in. But nobody knew the means to do so.
Having pitched the typically Laman type of tents and placed the earthen pots, and baskets inside them, the other 19 began gathering firewood just like the Lamans did in the early hours of the morning. Luckily no villager was seen approaching the temple yet.
Motibai signaled to the others and began climbing down the rock. Just then a womantore through the dense bushes on the right of the temple. She appeared insane and her mannerisms seemed erratic.
Suspicion seized Mundar Begum and her companions and they closed in on her with the intention to catch her. But Motibai, who scrambled down the rock signaled to others to stop them and RajkunwarYadav very swiftly moved forward through the group.
RajKunwar murmured to others, “She is ‘KashibaiKumbin’ (also referred to as ‘KashibaiKunbin’). It is to her that Damodarrao (the adopted son of RaniLaxmibai) has been entrusted and she lives as a ‘mad woman’ with a little child in a small hut in the village of Paldhadi. At first, even I did not recognize her, so perfect was her disguise!”
Motibai came to Kashibai and drew her impatiently into an eager, fervent embrace. They had been very dear friends since their childhood.
The fervor with which Motibai held her, did indeed convey to Kashibai that ‘RaniLaxmibai had departed from this world’. She could not hold back her tears. She broke down. Neither Motibai nor Rajkunwar could pacify her. Kashibai and Motibai were both very close and dear friends of RaniLaxmibai. More importantly, Kashibai was the chief assistant of Moropant, which fact Motibai was the only one aware of.
Ultimately, gauging the gravity of the situation, ManjunathPahadi stepped forwardand addressing the two women as a respected elder said, “You are both younger than my elder daughter. So I ask you as a father figure, do you not understand that this is not the time to grieve? You are both so politically seasoned. What is the secret that does not allow you to maintain your composure?”
The words helped them regain poise. Motibai then spoke to the others, “RaniLaxmibai has entrusted her jewels, her garments and a pot of gold coins and wealth to Kashibai, should we, her comrades need resources in the event of her death. The memory of this thoughtful and foresighted decision emphasized Laxmibai’s greatness and we broke down in tears.
Calm and collected, Kashibai led them all to her home behind the Durga temple. Gangabai, her mother, sat there playing with the little six year old Damodarrao. Moropant had settled Gangabai in this village two months earlier. It had been ensured that the story that Gangabai had a widowed daughter of unsound mind would be common knowledge in the village.Moropant had painted her as a wealthy widow of a generous and pious nature. She was supposedly in Paldhadi to serve the Goddess Durga on instructions of a Sadhu in Banaras.
As Gangabai learnt that they did not have cattle like the Laman tribe typically moved around with, she said to her daughter Kashibai, “Moropant has groomed me well over the last two months. I have good relations with the villagers. I have convinced them that ‘she is possessed by a spirit’. I will tell them that ‘the spirit has demanded that I donate cows and buffaloes to the Laman tribe as the spirit is of a woman of that same tribe.’ Early in the morning, I will gather, meaning buy cows and buffaloes and donate them to this Laman group. But where do we find a ‘maantrik’?
LalabhauBakshi promptly came forward and shedding his Laman attire, wore the black robes of a ‘maantrik’.
In broad daylight, this Laman settlement came to possess abundant cattle. No villager however had noted the fact that they did not happen to possess any cattle earlier. This was due to Gangabai’s story that one of the tribe had driven the heard into the forest very early at dawn.
The ritual of the donation of cattle once done by the ‘maantrik’, Gangabai’s daughter Kashibai was completely rid of the spirit that possessed her and she instantly began conducting herself normally and appropriately. A huge rush of villagers thronged the place to fall at the feet of this ‘maantrik’.
The wise and experienced LalabhauBakshi noted that the entire village was charmed, completely taken in by the feat he had pulled. They had to turn the situation to their advantage. Together with Motibai and SardarPahadi, he made a list of all that they would need for their remaining part of the mission. Then, under the guise of resolving the issues of the villagers, by nightfall, he made arrangements to procure all the supplies needed. What remained was the procurement of weapons – swords and guns. But Kashibai had a solution to that too.
‘Dacoits are known to frequent the home of a greedy money-lender in the neighbouring village and it is he, who sells weapons to them.’, she said.
In the thick of the night, weapons were bought in return for RaniLaxmibai’s wealth and the following morning, this clan of Lamantribals along with their cattle, set out on the next lap of their journey. Before leaving, the ‘maantrik’ gave every villager, a charmed talisman and instructed them to stay inside their homes and behind closed doors for eight hours to follow.
Gangabai, Kashibai, now cured and in sound health along with her little son left the village with the ‘maantrik’. Their luggage, i.e. the weapons, was loaded onto the donkeys owned by the Laman tribe.
Every heart was burning with revenge. But maintaining their calm, Kashibai and Motibai nursed a desire to go all out, to go to the extreme to seek revenge.
Having come a fair distance from Paldhadi, the Laman group changed direction. A spy in her own right, Kashibai was very well acquainted with Dulherao’s whereabouts.
A journey of three days behind them, the Laman clan were now pitching their tents on the open grounds in front of Dulherao’s mansion. By now the clan’s count had reached 50-60. The scattered male and female members of RaniLaxmibai’sDurgadal and MahadevShivDal had all come together to join the clan. Most importantly, SardarManjunath was well-versed with the Laman language and had trained the others in it too.
Before long, the extremely beautiful 25 year old Kashibai with a temperament that could strike as suddenly as a bolt of lightening, was moving about fearlessly in Dulherao’s home.
….to be continued