The travels of Bengalis in the past
Sumana Dam
The author of "Mishar Jatri Bangali" (The Bengali Traveler to Egypt), Shyamlal Mitra, is not widely known. The book was published in the month of Ashwin in 1291 Bengali calendar, which corresponds to 1884 AD. Before this, the work had been published in the Sanjeebani newspaper. The book contains Shyamlal Mitra's experiences as a part of the Bengali Indian army in the Egyptian campaign of 1882. Prior to this, no Bengali had ventured so far to participate in a war. A few Bengalis had previously visited Kabul, but they did not document their travels. Shyamlal Mitra took part in the Second Anglo-Afghan War (1878-1880). After returning, he took a two-year rest, and in July 1882, after bidding farewell to friends and relatives, he set off for the Egyptian war. In the first week of August, he arrived in Bombay (now Mumbai).
Bombay was a magnificent city, surrounded by the sea with small green hills. The city's tall palaces and monuments reflected its prosperity. Every street had tramways, gas lamps, and piped water. There were beautiful gardens, schools, charitable hospitals, and markets. The city’s grandeur was further enhanced by the sight of troops assembling, massive war preparations, and the sight of warships flying flags in the harbors. At the end of August, they embarked for Egypt from the "Bombay Princess Dock," carrying enough provisions for a three-month journey. The author mentions that a Bengali clerk was also aboard the ship. Along with numerous soldiers, workers, and doctors, the ship carried 65 horses and 300 mules. The atmosphere at the time of departure was deeply emotional.
The ship had two sections: the officers and doctors were in the saloon, while the clerks and gomastas (accountants) were in second-class cabins, and others were accommodated in the deck area. The first and second-class passengers were served food for a fee of four and two rupees daily, respectively. Once the ship entered the deep sea, almost everyone fell ill with dizziness and nausea, which lasted for about seven days. There was only one place for cooking for all the Indian passengers, and it was allotted a mere four-hour time frame. Hindus and Muslims cooked in succession on the same stove, and then they ate in their respective spaces. One day, the ship was caught in a storm but was spared by God's grace. The next day, they reached Aden, which was eight days after leaving Bombay.
Before arriving at Aden port, a flock of flying fish was spotted. Aden is considered the gateway to India because anyone traveling from India to Europe had to pass through it. The English soldiers had always kept the place well-guarded. The indigenous people there were dark-skinned, with long curly hair, red eyes, spoke Arabic, were uneducated, and were under the care of the English. Some local youths swam around the ship, and when sailors threw money into the water, they retrieved it astonishingly fast. The journey resumed in the afternoon. The ship, after being in the Arabian Sea, now began moving toward the Red Sea.
Six days from Aden, they reached Suez and were ordered to proceed to the battlefield. They disembarked in small boats and began their seven-day march to the battlefield, either on foot or horseback. The railway line from Ismailia to Kassassin was 129 miles long. On one side of the rail was a canal supplying drinking water, while on the other, an expansive desert stretched out. This desert had been the site of the earlier battles in the Egyptian war.
[Egypt, as the gateway to the East, was especially attractive to Europeans. During the reign of Muhammad Ali Pasha (1805–1848), Egypt became a semi-autonomous state under the Ottoman Empire. From 1852, Britain increased its presence in northern Egypt to maintain its trade routes to India and build the first British railway abroad. Meanwhile, France invested in the construction of the Suez Canal to link the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. Due to Ismail Pasha’s (1863–1879) policies, Egypt went into severe financial crisis by 1875, leading him to sell shares of the Suez Canal Company to Britain. The discontent with European and Ottoman rule sparked nationalist revolts in Egypt in 1879. The British army occupied Egypt in 1882 to protect its financial interests, leading to a war that Britain won. The nationalist leader Ahmad Urabi (whom the author refers to as Arabi Pasha) and the rebels were captured and exiled to Sri Lanka. The British then set up a nominal government with Tawfiq Pasha (1879–1892) as the ruler, while Egypt remained nominally under the Ottoman Empire but was effectively controlled by the British.]
The author then recounts scenes from the war, focusing on the chaos and atrocities. In some places, victorious soldiers were committing atrocities on helpless Egyptian women, looting, and in others, starving Egyptians were stealing food from the weak.
At the end of the war, the author was returning to Cairo, riding alone on horseback, separated from his comrades. For three days, he had no food, and his horse grew weak from hunger. There were no villages in sight. Just as he was about to lose consciousness, the horse entered a lush green grove. Slowly, he arrived at a village that had been devastated by the war, almost deserted. There, the author rescued an Egyptian woman from a cruel white soldier. Gratefully, she took him to her house, where they gave him bread, dates, and water. They also helped him find his way.
The author then reached the nearest railway station in Jaghazig, which was a beautiful station with an attached fine hotel. There, he met an English officer and learned the whereabouts of his companions. The next day, a trip to Cairo was arranged. The following morning, with a pass for sightseeing, a horse, and two companions, the author set off to explore Jaghazig. The city, although beautiful, was disheartened by the aftermath of the war. Most homes were empty, and the shops were closed. Only a few women were selling fruit in baskets.
In the afternoon, the train to Cairo departed, taking nine hours to reach the city. During the journey, the author saw new places, lovely gardens, beautiful homes, and the splendor of the Nile. The Nile had transformed this desert land into a fertile empire. Upon arrival in Cairo, the author managed to find shelter in a local residence and was reunited with his fellow soldiers and shipmates. After more than a month in Cairo, he sought permission from the higher authorities to visit the city, and fortunately, his request was granted.
One evening, the author was invited to dinner at the house of an Egyptian colleague. The house was a beautiful two-story building made of bricks, with a lovely garden full of flowers. The interior was clean and elegantly decorated. The hostess warmly greeted the guests and served them food. Later, in another room, they found a table covered with artistic lids and decorated with gold and silver bowls filled with various fruits. During their conversation, the author learned that this Egyptian gentleman was originally from Bengal. He had lost his parents at a young age and traveled the country for ten years before deciding to go abroad. He first traveled to Mecca and then to Egypt, where he married an Egyptian woman and settled down.
The next day, the author visited the pyramids on the banks of the Nile with the Egyptian, who was originally from Bengal. Initially disappointed by the sight of the pyramids, thinking they were just heaps of dry stones, the author was awe-struck after entering the towering pyramids. He had never seen anything like it before, and he described the pyramids as being built with such advanced technology that it seemed as though they were created by the gods. Despite all the progress the English had made in science, the pyramids were infinitely more advanced and distinct than anything being built at the time. The precise way each stone was placed and the impossibility of separating them left the author in awe.
In Cairo, the author saw magnificent multi-story buildings lining wide avenues, but there was a sense of sadness everywhere. Along the road, some stone pillars in the shape of animal heads had water flowing when turned one way and stopped when turned the other. In one place, he saw a tavern in front of a temple, and in another, a royal marketplace, a vast palace filled with countless goods for sale. The author had never seen such a marketplace in any Indian city.
Later, the author visited the royal palace. In the garden in front of the palace, a group of beautifully dressed Egyptian warriors played victory music. Armed Egyptian soldiers and English guards stood watch at the palace doors. The author observed that while the general Egyptian populace was grieving due to the war, the royal palace was filled with amusement, with the English celebrating with the Egyptian king, who had invited the victorious English general. The author was astonished by the English charm and irritated by the Egyptian king's behavior, so he left the place. He then went to visit wounded soldiers, whose suffering was beyond words. However, he saw several Turkish women volunteering to care for the sick.
Finally, starting from October 1, 1882, the process of sending the Indian army back to India began. The Indian troops, including infantry, cavalry, camels, mules, and horse-drawn carts, lined up and marched, accompanied by music, for seven days through the desert, from Cairo to Suez. At night, the English officers slept in tents and had good food, but there was no shelter or proper food for the Indian soldiers. Even finding drinking water in the desert was difficult. Moreover, the English officers subjected the Indian soldiers to brutal mistreatment, some of which the author described in his book. After a month at Suez, the author was finally able to find a ship to board.
Due to the oppressive attitude of the English captain of the army, the author could not find a proper place to stay on the ship. He struggled greatly to pass the days. One day, the ship was caught in a fierce storm with lightning in the Red Sea and barely survived. But two days later, the ship encountered an even bigger storm. Waves were crashing onto the ship's second deck. Suddenly, a wave threw the author down to the lower deck. He fell onto a plank on the lower floor, and as his foot got caught between the legs of a mule, he did not fall into the sea. Losing consciousness, he lay there while the sea water flowed over him. After a while, when he regained consciousness, he painfully got up and with the help of some people, made his way to his sleeping quarters, where he saw that almost all of his belongings had been washed away. Even his clothes and the gifts he had bought for his loved ones were gone. In immense physical and mental pain, and having witnessed various kinds of torture by the English master, he finally returned to Bombay.
From Bombay, he traveled to Allahabad and worked there for some time. After three weeks, he was able to get a pass for Rawalpindi. The author then visited Kolkata, which he considered his birthplace, and after spending fifteen days there, he continued on to Punjab by train. On the way, he met with friends in places like Kashi, Prayag, Kanpur, Aligarh, Amritsar, and Lahore, before reaching Rawalpindi in early 1883 to reunite with his loved ones. Due to the accident on his return journey, he became disabled and was dismissed from his position. The British government treated him harshly.
In conclusion, the author called on Indians to awaken from their subjugated mindset, urging them to improve the nation's progress through independent agriculture and commerce, and to foster the spirit of personal freedom.
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