Rani Jhansi's lawyer has slept in Mussoorie cemetery

Rani Jhansi's lawyer has slept in Mussoorie cemetery

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Dinesh Kukreti.
In the cemetery of Camel's back road in Mussoorie, Queen of the mountains, there is also an English son of the freedom movement who had supported Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi in the war against the British rule.  A lawyer and a journalist by profession, this Australian English was flown to the British court for false allegations made against the Rani Jhansi by the British rule.  He continued to fight against the slavery and oppression of the Indian people throughout his life.  Due to this, the British rulers were very angry with them and used to harass them like other Indian freedom fighters.

Lang, a resident of Australia, just 48 years old
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Walter Lang and Elizabeth's child John Lang were born on 19 December 1816 in Sydney (Australia).  But, on 20 August 1864, at the young age of 48, he took the world from the world-e-Fani to the queen of the mountains, Mussoorie.  He died in suspicious circumstances.  Therefore, on 22 August 1864, a report of his murder was written in the Mussoorie police post.  However, the British rulers suppressed the investigation of the case and the mystery of his death always remained a mystery.

Ruskin discovered Lang's grave in Camel's Back Road cemetery
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John Lang came to India in the year 1842 and started helping the Indians legally against the British here.  In 1861, he married Margaret Waiter in Mussoorie.  Little is known that Lang's name made headlines in the year 1964, when the famous writer Ruskin Bond discovered his tomb on the Camel's Back Road in Mussoorie.  Although Lang was already popular in Australia for his books, he was less well known in India.  Often historical references to Lang were made, Bond writes, but it was not confirmed that he lived in Mussoorie.  On the hundredth death anniversary of Lang in 1964, an acquaintance from Australia sent some documents related to him.  It was only then that he began searching for Lang's tomb.

Lang was worth the Himalayas
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John Lang was particularly fond of the Himalayas and its Shivalik ranges, writes Ruskin Bond.  When he started staying sick due to the heat in Meerut, he moved to Mussoorie and then settled here.  He lived at the Himalaya Club near Picture Palace in Mussoorie.  He breathed his last here.

Was deported in the year 1830
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Lang did his early education in Sydney and in 1837 he earned a barrister's degree from Cambridge University (England).  Then after spending some time in Australia came to India.  However, he was expelled only in the year 1830 after he raised his voice against the British rulers in the Sydney Rebellion and moved to England.  After coming to India, till 1845, the British fought poor cases imposed on poor Indians in various areas here.

Publication of the newspaper 'Muffsilite' continued till the end
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In 1845, Lang started publishing a newspaper called 'Muffsilite' in Kolkata.  Later it was published from Meerut, which he continued to publish from Mussoorie till the last time of his life.  For this, he had installed a mufasilite printing press in The Exchange Building complex located in Kulri Bazar, Mussoorie.  In his newspaper, he used to publish articles against excesses of English rule.  Even today, this newspaper is being published weekly as Mphsilite in both languages.  Its editor is historian Jayaprakash Uttarakhandi and also runs a committee in memory of John.

Rani Jhansi appointed Lang as his lawyer in 1854
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John Lang fought the case to recognize the adopted son of Rani Lakshmi Bai from the then British rule.  Historian Jayaprakash Uttarakhandi writes that the then Governor General of India, Lord Dalhousie, was also eyeing Jhansi to seize the kingdom of childless rulers.  In the year 1854, Rani Lakshmi Bai appointed John Lang to contest his case and called Jhansi to meet.  Lang lost the trial against the East India Company in the Kolkata High Court.  Meanwhile, the mutiny of 1857 started and on 17 June 1858, Rani Laxmi Bai became a martyr while fighting the British.  The mutiny had failed, so this year Lang also moved to Mussoorie.

When Rani said to Lang, 'I will not give my Jhansi'.
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As John Lang writes in his book 'Wanderings in India', during conversation, the queen's adopted son Damodar suddenly removed the curtain between the queen and me.  Which surprised the queen, although by then I had seen the queen.  He told me, 'I will not give my Jhansi'.  I was so impressed to see the queen that she could not stop herself and said, 'If the Governor General had seen you, I would have considered myself lucky for a while, like I am assuming.  I am saying with confidence that he would have given back to Jhansi to a beautiful queen like you.  However, with a very sincere response, Rani accepted this supplement gracefully on my point.

Lang was the only Englishman to be married to Rani Jhansi
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John Lang was the only Englishman who had the privilege of being acquainted with Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi.  Lang writes, 'The queen was a woman of average stature, healthy, simple body and very beautiful round face at a young age.  His eyes were quite beautiful and his nose was very delicate.  The color was not very fair, but it was very good with blackness.  There was no jewelry on his body except the ear ring in the ears.  She was wearing very finely knit white muslin cloth.  The outline of his body was quite clear in this dress.  She was really beautiful.  Yes, the only thing that spoiled his personality was his torn voice with rumpled sound.  However, she was a very intelligent and influential woman.

Lang was Australia's first novelist
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 Lang was not only a lawyer, but also a writer and a well-known journalist of his time.  John Lang is known in Australia as the country's first novelist.  Lang wrote famous novels such as the English novels The Weatherbies, Two Clever by Hoff, Two Much Alike, The Forgers Wife, Captain Macdonald, The Secret Police, True Stories of the Early Days of Australia, The X Wife, My Friends Wife.  After his death, these novels were published several times and were well received by readers.