The chapati movement involved the unusual distribution of
chapati
Chapati (alternatively spelled chapathi; pronounced as IAST: ), also known as ''roti'', ''rooti'', ''rotee'', ''rotli'', '' rotta'', ''safati'', ''shabaati'', ''phulka'', ''chapo'' (in East Africa), ''sada roti'' (in the Caribbean), ''poli'' (i ...
s, a type of
unleavened flatbread, across several North Indian villages in early 1857.
The ultimate origin of the movement is unknown; though British agents suggested the chapatis might contain secret notes, inspections revealed no such messages.
The movement first came into attention in February 1857. Reports began pouring from villages of North India that thousands of chapatis
were passing from one hand to another. The usual distribution procedure involved a person who would come from the jungle, give the village watchman several chapatis and tell him to make more chapatis, and distribute those to watchmen in the nearby villages. The watchman would then travel with chapatis in his turban,
often with little to no knowledge of the chapatis' original source.
Indians generally believed this was the work of the British, who themselves were clueless. ''The Friend of India'', an English newspaper published in
Srirampur, reported in its 5 March 1857 edition that British officers were left confused and equally scared when chapatis arrived in every police station in the area. The chapatis had travelled far; from
Farrukhabad
Farrukhabad is a city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of the Farrukhabad tehsil. This city is on the banks of river Ganges is from the national capital Delhi and from the state capital Lucknow.
His ...
to
Gurgaon
Gurgaon (), officially named Gurugram (), is a satellite city of Delhi and administrative headquarters of Gurgaon district, located in the northern Indian state of Haryana. It is situated near the Delhi–Haryana border, about southwest ...
, from
Avadh
Awadh (), known in British Raj historical texts as Avadh or Oudh, is a historical region in northern India and southern Nepal, now constituting the North-central portion of Uttar Pradesh. It is roughly synonymous with the ancient Kosala Regio ...
via
Rohilkhand
Rohilkhand (today Bareilly, Moradabad, Badaun and Rampur; ) is a region in the northwestern part of Uttar Pradesh, India, that is centered on the Bareilly and Moradabad divisions. It is part of the upper Ganges Plain, and is named after the ...
to
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...
. The speed of distribution was particularly disconcerting to the British because it was much swifter than British mail, and several inquiries were made as to the source and meaning of the movement. They yielded the information that the breads were being distributed far more widely than anyone in Agra had yet realized, and that the Indians who received them generally took them as some sort of a sign. Beyond that, however, opinions remained divided. There were reports that lotus flowers and goat flesh were also occasionally distributed with the chapatis.
See also
*
Mark Thornhill
References
{{reflist
Political movements in India
Indian Rebellion of 1857
1857 in India