Randi and the Rajputs

Oh Captain Whitmore’s Great Grandson Sir,

It is I, the Randi Ram, still serving here in the army of the British Raj.  Since the terrible curse laid upon me by my brother, the Mad Fakir, I have been doomed to live as a Sepoy until such time as I found my courage.  This is a thing that has not yet occurred and so I am now a Havildar in the 11th Rajputs.  By my estimate I am one hundred and twenty five years old, yet I seem no different to that day of the Fakir’s execution at Fort George, and his terrible words.

Commissary Havildar Randi with two of the Dogras Pioneers

I serve in the Commissary of course, counting bullets and spades.  These Rajputs are not like the men of the old 2nd Madras.  No, no, these are grim faced serious men, and seem to have a wish for death in battle.  Only half of these men are Hindi, yet they call on Hanuman to give them courage in battle.  

The Randi Ram has of course met Hanuman in person and I am here to report that the Monkey God is not really so serious as they are.  That Hanuman was of course a very drunken and strangely shaped hairy person I met in the Military prison at Seringapatam.  He laughed at my curse and told me that he thought my brother had played a great joke.

I am aware that this all may seem difficult to accept.  My Commanding Officer Major Stroker calls me “a daft old coot,” even though he is aware that I have served with this battalion since the Great Mutiny.  Yet I recall the great battle of Assaye, where I stood behind Major Tudor of the 2nd Madras when we volley fired into the ranks of the Maharathas, and the breach of the Mountain Fortress of Gawilghur where the 2nd Madras fell about me like scythed grain and I was the last of them, unwounded but frozen in terror.

The Rajputs have been my home ever since, and now we are posted to the Soudan to destroy yet another mad prophet.  Our troop ship, the sensibly named Ganges has finally arrived here at the Red Sea Protectorate port of Suakin.  We stood along the rails and watched native horsemen riding along the coast.  They are most numerous.

The rajputs on operations.  Clearing a village.

Our Officer, Mr Lieutenant Farthingdale, in charge of the Dogras Pioneer Company summoned me to count water bottles, and so I was busy when the battalion began to disembark.  The red coated Officers from a British home Service battalion named the Queen’s Own watched us parade on the dock, and called many insults at the Rajputs.  The Dogras company have grown used to this sort of thing, and have been included only to assist in building a railway.  But the Rajputs are veterans of more wars than these foolish persons have ever heard of and even our Dogras have seen more blood.

Later the Subadar Major, “Andy” Pandi inspected the battalion’s Snider-Enfield rifles on the dockside, and noted with pride that only one man had allowed dirt to show.  I promised him that I would do better next time…

As this occurred the howitzers of the Mountain battery were disembarked.  The muzzle of that gun is large enough to fit a man’s head inside.  This is what Captain Barkinge-Madly of the Sultan of Gujarat’s Artillery shouted he would do to the sightseeing Englishmen.  He has done it before…

We have been assigned to Water Fort Number One.  This is a goodly name for an old ruin and bare parade ground.  The Subadar Major had us begin digging defences, much to the amusement of these men of the Queens Own who were taking their ease in tents nearby.  Only when the he was happy could we fall out and begin to erect our own tents.

This place is miserable.  It has plagues of flies, plagues of mad hairy natives and plagues of dry desert heat.  The Rajputs want to see this finished and go home.  

In honour of your Great Grandfather Sir I will write of events here, until the battalion is allowed to go back to our garrison in Rajistan.  Be like him I implore you sir, a bold mad of actions.  Come out to the Soudan and see the Randi Ram and his Rajput friends catch this Mad-hatti fellow and place his head into the Sultan’s great howitzer.

Rangeet Ram, Havildar, 11th Rajputs.

11th Rajputs

4 Companies of 12 Infantry.
1 attached Mountain gun from Prince Albert's Own Bengal Artillery, on mules. 
1 attached pioneer cart.

Major W. Stroker, SM. VD
Capt Myles Long (Mile Schlong to the ladies)
Capt Drew Peacock 
Captain Hugh Jeers PDQ, 
Captain Barkinge-Madly FA, Certified.

Lieutenant Herbert Farthingdale and Subedar Major A D Pandi commanding the Dogras Pioneer company.

Three Havildars, Charu, Vikram and Dilip to take command if their Officer falls. 

Battalion Surgeon Pant

The Rajputs battle cry is " Bajrang Bali ki Jai"  a prayer to Hanuman, the Monkey God, to move a mountain... ie perform a heavy task.