People and Personalities of Khandwa (East Nimar) District

The big stories often make the headlines of our historical narratives, but history is not only about the landmark events - it finds shape and character in the myriad events that led up to a flashpoint of change. An attempt to discover and document stories of people, events, and places linked to the freedom struggle of India at the micro level of the district has led to the creation of a Digital District Repository. Stories in this section can be broadly classified under - People & Personalities.

Thakur Laxman Singh Chauhan

Thakur Laxman Singh Chauhan was a nationalist writer from Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh. He was the husband of a renowned nationalist poet Subhadra Kumari Chauhan, and the couple contributed immensely to the freedom struggle through their writings.

Laxman Singh was frequently imprisoned with his wife owing to their participation in the freedom struggle, but he continued being a devout disciple of the Gandhian philosophy. He wrote four Hindi plays, Kuli Pratha, Durgawati, Utsarga, and Ambapali. In Kuli Pratha, Laxman Singh presented a vivid picture of the British atrocities on the island of Fiji. The Pratap Press of Kanpur published his play Gulami ka Nasha or The Intoxication of Slavery, which the British government immediately banned on the charge of containing seditious content. His plays had a common theme of protest against imperial rule.

Thakur Laxman Singh Chauhan evoked patriotic feelings in his readers through his writings. He successfully critiqued the brutalities posed by foreign rule on the people.

Tantiya Bhil

TantiyaBheel was a dacoit active between 1878 and 1889. He was treated like a criminal by the British, but was a heroic figure to the Indians, and has been compared to Robin Hood. A member of the Bhil tribe of Madhya Pradesh, he waged an armed struggle against the British and started dacoity against them after the Revolt of 1857. He was eventually caught and hanged in 1889.

Source :

• Indian Culture Portal
• Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav