First war of independence India

The Paika Rebellion in Odisha that mobilised a large number of rebel forces across all strata of society to revolt against the East India Company took place around 1817.

Dr Rosie Llewellyn-Jones, a renowned British scholar, talks about an unnamed and unsung African woman who fought in Sikandra Bagh in Lucknow during the Revolt of 1857 and killed a number of British soldiers before being shot.

A brave woman who made a pivotal contribution to the Great Revolt of 1857, Azeezunbai was among the many courtesans who lived a life of intrigue and danger to fight colonial rule. Yet few Indians know their story.