Grease in the Melting Pot

An amazing trait of the Indian people during the time the British had power was their perseverance during the troubling times. This was made evident through their many small mutinies and rebellions such as the Sepoy Rebellion. A sepoy was an Indian soldier who fought for the British while they were occupying India. A main reason this rebellion occurred stems from the British’s religious indifference towards the sepoys.[4] The cartridges were greased using the fat of animals such as a pig or cow. If it was greased by a pig, it was offensive to Muslims, and if it was greased by a cow, it was offensive to Indians.[5] The soldiers viewed this as disrespectful, and revolted against the British leaders. In the early stages of the uprising, the natives were able to push back the British troops. But after a few battles, the British were able to show off their extraordinary martial powers and take back complete control of India.[6] Even though the European power was able to crush the rebellion, this showed the Indians how vulnerable the British truly were. For example, British quickly revamped their armies with more Europeans rather than Indians, and due to the fear they had, paid more attention to the religions of the country. Considered by many to be the First War for Independence, this rebellion highlighted the unity of the native people, and started a path to a successful rebellion nearly a century later.[7]

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