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INTRODUCTION
sed to stoop so low as to rejoin him now. Then after some time at the Collector's private advice N and his party took recourse to a very strange and perfedious device. They took out a quick procession with music band consisting of over twenty English missionaries and Indian Christians with N garlanded seated in a palanquin. The procession after crossing all the distance halted before the house of N's father-in-law. While the elderly male members of the house were away, some members of the procession at N's instance made a surprise raid inside. Lakşmi Bai, who was busy with her grinding wheel on the third storey, was captured unawares by them, who, to put down her religious sentiment once for all, spat on her person and dragged her downstairs to be seated beside N in the palanquin. The procession then made a hasty return march meeting with little resistance in the way especially as the Collector had picketed police constables to avert any serious clash in the streets. As soon as the procession reached back N's residence, Lakşmi Bai's father rushed forth along with some companions to protest and take her back. Lakşmi Bai who had been frightened to dumbness soon grew conscious of the situation and under the circumstances declined to go back with her father. Her father's subsequent petition in the matter, too, was dismissed by the Collector at his court held on a delayed date at his own bungalow where she, surrounded by N and the whole party of English missionaries and Indian Christians, stated that she would not desert N any more. She then lived with N and in about a year gave birth to a daughter. However, she
Shree Sudharmaswami Gyanbhandar-Umara, Surat
www.umaragyanbhandar.com
