Source: Wikipedia
Historians state that Thorpe’s life is shrouded in “myth, memory and history”.[3] He is regarded in Kashmir as a martyr who died for the cause of Kashmiris.[4][5][6]
Lieutenant Robert Thorpe (1838–1868[1]), an officer of the British Indian Army,[2] visited Kashmir during the reign of Maharaja Ranbir Singh and wrote about the sufferings of the Kashmiri people. His writings were compiled into a book Cashmere Misgovernment and published in London in 1870. Thorpe also appealed to the British soldiers, who raised funds for Christian Missionary Society to send medical help to the Kashmir Valley. This eventually led to the founding of the British Mission Hospital in Srinagar.[2]
Family
According to Jane Strand, a surviving relative of Robert Thorpe, Robert Thorpe was born in 1838 to parents Thomas Thorp (died 1854), a solicitor in Alnwick in Northumberland, and Elizabeth Jane Tudor (died 1890) from Bath, Somerset. Robert had a brother William Tudor Thorp, who was a vicar and the great grandfather of Jane Strand.[7]
Other versions of his background are current in Kashmir. According to writer Fida Hassnain, Robert Thorpe’s father was Lt. Col. R. Thorpe of the British Army. On a holiday to Kashmir in 1833, Col. Thorpe is said to have fallen in love with a Kashmiri woman named Amiran, the daughter of a landlord in Shoguin, and the two were married. Then they are said to have gone back to Britain, where Robert Thorpe was born.[8][9]
According to another version from Justice Yusuf Saraf, Robert Thorpe’s mother was Jani (Jan Bibi), the daughter of Daim Rathore (Dayim Rathore) of Kishtwar. To get married to her, Col. Thorp had to convert to Islam. Robert Thorpe is said to have been the youngest of three children.[10][11][12][13] Kumar and Dar note the inconsistencies in the various narratives.[14]
Life and career
According to Jane Strand’s information, Robert went to school first in Durham and later in Surrey. He was commissioned in the 98th foot regiment of British Army in India (British Indian Army in modern terminology) in February 1858. He resigned from the Army in February 1867.[7]
When Thorpe entered Kashmir around 1865, he was a Lieutenant.[2] Scholar Sheikh Showkat Hussain believes that Thorpe was sent to Kashmir on a mission, to prepare the case for British intervention in Kashmir.[15]
Writings on Kashmir
Between 1865 and 1868, Thorpe travelled extensively in the villages, collecting information about the living conditions, economy, taxation, and the state apparatus.[10] He wrote scathing articles on the Dogra rule in Anglo-Indian newspapers.[16] He wrote to the British officials at Lahore (provincial capital of Punjab) and Calcutta (capital of British India).[10] But his writings also contained a strong political message. He was advocating the British annexation of Kashmir, a prevailing view among the British officials at that time.[17] His attack on the Dogra rulers and the Treaty of Amritsar that transferred Kashmir to the Dogras were scathing:
…by a government into whose hands British statesmen sold the people of Kashmir, by a government, therefore whose existence is a disgrace to the British name. It is at once a memorial of that foul act, when like the arch traitor of old; we battered innocent lives, which fate placed into our hands for a few pieces of silver. [18]
His writings did not lead to annexation of Kashmir. However, the British government brought the state of Jammu and Kashmir into a subsidiary alliance, placing a British Resident in Kashmir.[19]
Other than the political messages, scholars find Thorpe’s writings valuable for the detailed information they provide on the state of the early Dogra administration. They describe the patterns of land tenure and revenue administration, the tax administration of the shawl industry, transport of supplies for troops and the system of begar (forced labour for the state). They bring to fore the “poverty, oppression and degradation” that characterised the early Dogra administration.[20]
The writings were compiled into a book Cashemre Misgovernment published by Longmans, Green and Company in London in the year 1870. The book has been republished many times, two modern editions including those edited by S. N. Gadru[21] and Fida Hassnain[22].
Death
Thorpe died in Srinagar on 22 November 1868 under mysterious circumstances. The cause of death was determined by the British doctor as a rupture of the heart. Poisoning was alleged and continues to be suspected even though the doctor ruled it out.[19]
Why was Thorp murdered? Thorp was shocked to see the miserable plight of the people in his mother’s birthplace. He raised his voice at the time when there was total sanction on information reaching the government of India. Thorp took it on himself to inform and educate the British people about the situation in Kashmir by writing to the British Press without caring for consequences. Thorp felt the British were responsible for the plight of Kashmiris, as it was they who had sold it to the Maharaja under the “Treaty of Amritsar.” Thorp pleaded before the government to release Kashmiris from the wretched condition, oppression and misery. He believed that public opinion was paramount to influence the government to do what was needed.
Thorp traveled to Valley’s nook and corner collecting information about the plight of the people and thoroughly investigating the facts. He later on published a book titled Kashmir Misgovernment and dedicated it to the people who, according to him “do not approve of cruelties upon human beings, and to those who are exalted from the moral, religious and social point of view and do not like oppression”.Thorp pleaded that the British were the first nation, which led the way to the abolition of slavery. When resistance was shown by one Sheikh Imam-ud-Din, the Britishers forced Sheikh to obey the new Sovereign of Kashmir or consider himself as an enemy of British power. Sheikh yielded and Gulab Singh’s troops were permitted to occupy Srinagar without any resistance. Thorp pleaded that British government had committed a wanton outrage and injustice by handing over Kashmir to the unjust Maharaja. He pleaded to the British government to establish the facts as he had done by laborious investigation in Kashmir itself. However, trouble came upon Thorp and he was ordered to leave Kashmir. Undeterred, Thorp returned to Srinagar on November 21, 1868, and next morning after his breakfast he died, possibly because of poisoning. Thorp was found dead on the Sulaiman Taing Hill. Some misinformed people believe that thorp was a British agent and had come here to pursue some ulterior motives. However, his book speaks for him. Nothing more is needed to prove his credentials. [27]
Cecil Tyndale-Biscoe, who went as a Christian missionary to Kashmir in 1890, informs us that prior to his death, Thorpe was ordered out of the state by the Maharaja. When he refused to leave, he was tied to his bed and carried to the pass. Thorpe is said to have escaped and returned to Srinagar. His death occurred the following day.[23][11]
Fida Hassnain, on the other hand, states that the Maharaja’s men attacked Thorpe when he went to the Shankaracharya Hill near the Dal Lake (also called the Takhat-i-Sulaiman), and he died on the spot. The source of this information is not specified.[24]
Thorpe was buried at a Christian cemetery at Shaikh Bagh. The carving on the grave states, “He gave his life for Kashmir”.[1]
Legacy
Robert Thorpe’s appeals for help mobilised other British officers such as Sir Robert Montgomery, who was the Lieutenant-Governor of the Punjab, Sir Herbert Edwards, Colonel Martin and Colonel Urmston, who got together and raised funds for sending a medical missionary to Kashmir with the help of the Christian Missionary Society. Doctor William Jackson Elmslie went as a missionary doctor in 1864. His work is said to have been obstructed by the Maharaja’s administration, but he continued until his death in 1872. Afterwards, the Society sent Doctor Theodore Maxwell who was able to get land from the administration for building a basic Mission Hospital at Rustum Gari, close to the Takhat-i-Sulaiman. Dr. Arthur Neve, who succeeded him, built the present hospital.[25]
In 1967, Fida Hassnain wrote an article on Robert Thorpe in a local newspaper calling him “the first martyr” of Kashmir. Major Afzal arranged the first anniversary memorial at the grave of Robert Thorpe, and since then it is remembered every year.[24][26]
References
- ^ a b Peer, Curfewed Night 2011, p. 73.
- ^ a b c Mir, N. A.; Mir, V. C. (1 April 2008), “Inspirational people and care for the deprived: medical missionaries in Kashmir”, The Journal of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, 38(1): 85–8, PMID 19069044
- ^ Kumar & Dar, Marginality and Historiography 2015, p. 41.
- ^ “Kashmir remembers Robert Thorpe on his 149th death anniversary”. Kashmir Observer. 22 November 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
- ^ Thorpe, Robert (31 January 2018). “Being Robert Thorp”. Greater Kashmir. Archived from the original on 31 January 2018. Retrieved 1 February2018.
- ^ “Tributes paid to Robert Thorpe on his death anniversary – Kashmir Times”. www.kashmirtimes.in. Retrieved 24 April2018.
- ^ a b Hussain, Ashiq (19 November 2018). “The life and times of Robert Thorpe”. Ink Bind. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
- ^ Hassnain, Kashmir Misgovernment by Robert Thorpe 1980, p. 16.
- ^ Peer, Curfewed Night 2011, p. 72.
- ^ a b c Saraf, Kashmiris Fight for Freedom, Volume 1 2015, p. 265.
- ^ a b Shams S. Rehman, A beautiful Muslim bride started the Kashmir link, Manchester Evening News, 21 August 2007.
- ^ Hussain, Kashmir Profiles 2017, pp. 27–28.
- ^ Sheikh Showkat Hussain, Robert Thorpe’s loyalties lay with British, Kashmir Dispatch, 22 November 2013.
- ^ Kumar & Dar, Marginality and Historiography 2015, p. 43, note 33: “For some, Thorpe’s mother was Janna, for others it was Janni, for some she was the daughter of a landlord from Budgam, while for others she was daughter of the ruler of Kishtwar. For some, Robert Thorpe was a Muslim, because his father had converted to Islam, while for others Robert Thorpe was a Christian whose cemetery can still be seen in the Sheikh Bagh Christian graveyard in Srinagar.”
- ^ Hussain, Kashmir Profiles 2017, p. 27.
- ^ Shauq, Shafi; Zahoor, Qazi; Farooqi, Shoukat (1997), Europeans on Kashmir, Summit, p. 24
- ^ Teng, Kashmir Papers – Introduction 1973, pp. xxxiii–xxxiv.
- ^ Parray, Bilal Ahmad (2014), “European Trav el Writing and Kashmir: Representations of a Land of Beauty Borderland and Belated Interests”, University, Pondicherry University/Shodhganga, Chapter 6
- ^ a b Hussain, Kashmir Profiles 2017, p. 29.
- ^ Teng, Kashmir Papers – Introduction 1973, pp. xxxiv–xxxv.
- ^ Gadru 1973.
- ^ Hassnain, Kashmir Misgovernment by Robert Thorpe 1980.
- ^ Tyndale-Biscoe, Kashmir in Sunlight and Shade 1925, p. 239.
- ^ a b Hassnain, Kashmir Misgovernment by Robert Thorpe 1980, p. 18.
- ^ Tyndale-Biscoe, Kashmir in Sunlight and Shade 1925, p. 240.
- ^ “Kashmir remembers Robert Thorpe on 149th death anniversary”. Kashmir Life. 22 November 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
- “Being Robert Thorp”. Greater Kashmir. November 18, 2016
Bibliography
- Gadru, S. N., ed. (1973), Kashmir Papers: British Intervention in Kashmir (PDF), Freethought Literature Company
- Teng, Mohan Kishen (1973), “Introduction”, Ibid, p. xiii–
- Brinckman, Arthur (1973) [first published 1868], “Wrongs of Cashmere”, Ibid, pp. 1–46
- Thorp, Robert (1973) [first published 1870], “Kashmir Misgovernment”, Ibid, pp. 47–96
- Digby, William (1973) [first published 1890], “Condemned Unheard”, Ibid, pp. 97–304
- Hassnain, F. M., ed. (1980), Kashmir Misgovernment by Robert Thorpe, Gulshan Publishers
- Hussain, Sheikh Showkat (2017), Kashmir Profiles, Dar Al Kotob Al Ilmiyah, ISBN 978-2-7451-2195-0
- Kumar, Amit; Dar, Fayaz A. (26 September 2015), “Marginality and Historiography: The Case of Kashmir’s History”, Economic and Political Weekly, 50 (39): 37–44
- Peer, Basharat (2011), Curfewed Night, Random House Publishers India Pvt. Limited, ISBN 978-81-8400-223-2}
- Saraf, Muhammad Yusuf (2015) [first published 1977 by Ferozsons], Kashmiris Fight for Freedom, Volume 1, Mirpur: National Institute Kashmir Studies
- Tyndale-Biscoe, Cecil Earle (1925), Kashmir in Sunlight and Shade, Mittal Publications, GGKEY:BT1J7APQRW3
- Zutshi, Chitralekha (2004), Languages of Belonging: Islam, Regional Identity, and the Making of Kashmir, C. Hurst & Co. Publishers, ISBN 978-1-85065-700-2
External links
- “Kashmir remembers Robert Thorpe on 149th death anniversary”. Kashmir Life. 22 November 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
- “Being Robert Thorp” by Zahir-ud-Din. Greater Kashmir. November 18, 2016
(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
