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Mohan Lal Kashmiri | |
|---|---|
 Photo of Mohan Lal in 1844 byRobert Adamson andDavid Octavius Hill | |
| Born | 1812 (1812) |
| Died | 1877 (aged 64–65) |
| Other names | Ram Nath |
| Occupations | Persian secretary (munshi), traveller and author |
| Notable work | Life of the Amir Dost Mohammed Khan |
| Spouse | Hyderi Begum |
Mohan Lal ZutshiKLS[1] (popularly known asMohan Lal Kashmiri; 1812 – 1877) was an Indian traveler, diplomat, and author. He is credited as being an important player in the so-calledGreat Game—possibly the first notable Indian one.[2] He also played a central role in theFirst Anglo-Afghan War of 1838–1842. His biography ofDost Mohammad Khan, theEmir of Afghanistan inKabul, is a primary source on the war.
Mohan Lal's wife, Hyderi Begum, was a Muslim scholar. During theIndian Rebellion of 1857, she was said to have maintained a diary of events in Delhi.
Mohan Lal (also called Ram Nath)[3] was from aZutshi family ofKashmiri Pandits. His great grandfather, Pandit Mani Ram, had a high rank at the Mughal Court in the reign ofShah Alam II. His father, Rai Brahm Nath, also known as Rae Budh Singh, worked for a time forMountstuart Elphinstone on a diplomatic mission to Peshawar (1808–1809).[4] Mohan Lal studied at theDelhi College, one of the first Indian students to be educated in the English curriculum there.[5]
His only brother, Kedar Nath Zutshi, was a Deputy Collector inAmbala,Panjab Province, and died in 1855.
In 1831 Lieutenant (later Captain) SirAlexander Burnes of theEast India Company's service was deputed by the British Government to gather information in the countries lying between India and the Caspian. He was directed to appear as a private individual with a small retinue maintaining a character of poverty. Mohan Lal was engaged by Burnes primarily to assist him in his Persian correspondence and also because Burnes believed that his youth and creed would free him from all danger of his entering into intrigues with the people among whom he was going to travel.[6] Mohan Lal's official title wasmunshi, but Mohan Lal preferred the title "Persian secretary".[4]
Alexander Burnes and Mohan Lal led an expedition to Central Asia in 1832–1834 for procuring political and military intelligence and became firm friends.
Later, Mohan Lal was theCommercial Agent for the British on the Indus and Political Assistant to Burnes inKabul during theFirst Anglo-Afghan War. He witnessed the killing of Burnes by an angry mob in Kabul at the start of the war, which he described in a book he later wrote describing theLife of Amir Dost Mohammed Khan.[2] He survived the massacres of 1841 and continued to keep Calcutta informed of events in the Afghan capital from the house of a merchant where he had taken refuge. His reports contained many strong and cogent criticisms of the behaviour of British Officers, and particularly SirWilliam Hay Macnaghten and GeneralWilliam Elphinstone.
Mohan Lal had learnedPersian inDelhi and travelled in the garb of aMuslim, under the pseudonym of "Aga Hasan Jan"[8] or as "Mirza Quli Kashmiri" inPersia andAfghanistan collecting information vital for his British superiors.
During the First Anglo-Afghan War, he was instrumental in setting up and expanding the British intelligence network in Afghanistan and is also alleged to have had a major hand in arranging the assassination, by poisoning, ofMir Masjidi Khan, a major Afghan resistance leader.[9] He found out and handed over to the British authorities secret letters written by the rulers ofKandahar toMehrab Khan, the ruler ofKalat, exhorting him not to allow passage to the invading British army. He managed to obtain the services of very important functionaries like Mohammed Tahir, Haji Khan Kakari, Abdul Majeed Khan, Akhundzada Ghulam and Mullah Nasooh in Kandahar and Sardar Abdul Rashid Khan, a nephew of the Emir SardarDost Mohammad Khan inGhazni. He played a major role in securing the release of British prisoners held hostage inBamiyan. He tried to bring peace between the British and the Afghans during such inflammatory situations.
After the war, Mohan Lal travelled to Europe: In 1844 he sailed from Bombay via Egypt to Britain.[10] During his time in Europe he metQueen Victoria,Prince Albert andFrederick William IV of Prussia, the latter gifting Mohan Lal an inscribed ivory carving of himself.[11][12]
During his travels in Europe, Mohan Lal was photographed in 1844 byRobert Adamson andDavid Octavius Hill.[13] Today his photo is contained in theScottish National Portrait Gallery.[14] While in Scotland, Mohan Lal was also portraited by the famous Scottish painterWilliam Allan. The painting was exhibited by theRoyal Scottish Academy in 1845 under the title "Mirza Mohun Lal, Persian secretary to the British Mission at Cabool, and who had previously accompanied Sir Alexander Burnes on his journey to Bokhara".[15][16] The current location of the painting, which was sold on 18 April 1850, is unknown.[16] In 1846 he attended the burial ofDwarkanath Tagore in London.[17]
Mohan Lal retired at the age of 32, disappointed that he had not been properly rewarded for his contributions to the British cause in the First Anglo-Afghan War. His later years were spent in obscurity and financial troubles. His marriage to Hyderi Begum is said to have taken place in 1857.[18] His wife was portraited byPaul Fischer.[19]
Mohan Lal died in Delhi in 1877 in obscurity. According to his biographerHari Ram Gupta, Mohan Lal is reported to have written an extensive diary until his death, but by 1943 its location was no longer known.[20]
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