Click to play videoBalia, UP: He's known as India's first freedom fighter, the man who is said to have started the Uprising of 1857.
150 years on, his place of birth, Balia in Eastern UP- still exists in the shadow of Mangal Pandey, where his legacy is preserved.
Nagwa in Balia is like any other village in Uttar Pradesh, but it has found a place in India's history as Mangal Pandey's place of birth. And every one wants a piece of history.
To prove their point, 80-year-old Teraiya Devi said, "We are the real descendants. When people in our family marry, Mangal Pandey's name is taken by the priest as the first ancestor."
Others filed a case against the movie The Rising and call him God.
"We want the government to install his statue in Parliament and issue stamps in his name," said Balia resident Santosh Pandey.
They all have family trees tracing their lineage from Mangal Pandey. Some have what they call an authentic portrait of him and some others have certificates making their family the real Mangal Pandey family.
Statues have been erected and colleges have been named after him but when it comes to knowing their history, it’s definitely not ten on ten.
Student looks blank when a teacher asked, “Who was Mangal Pandey?”
And for so-called descendants either, the level of knowledge seemed no better.
"Sadhu tha Mangal Pandey (Mangal Pandey was a saint)," said one person.
But some where deep down, the pride is unmistakable.
"Even I want to be a soldier, because I want to be like Mangal Pandey and fight for my country," said a young boy.
In Balia Mangal Pandey's statues are revered. Balia's very existence revolves around this man. Because if it hadn't been for him, this district town in Eastern UP would perhaps never find itself on a map.
But some historians and writers have questioned Mangal Pandey's place in Indian history.
They say that way back in 1857 there was no real sense of an India. All that mattered was one's Mulk or the place one came from.
So to say that his act of defiance stemmed from nationalistic feelings is a little far fetched.
But he will always be remembered as India's first freedom fighter.
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