Fri Jul 18 05:50:59 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a news article based on the provided text, along with a summary:
**Summary:**
The article recounts the events of May 10, 1857, in Delhi, focusing on the role of the Delhi Telegraph office in communicating the outbreak of the Sepoy Mutiny in Meerut. The telegraph office received a message about the rebellion, the death of a British commander, and the burning of bungalows. This message, transmitted through copper wires, is framed as the first cry for freedom from oppressive British rule. The article also mentions the subsequent construction of the Mutiny Memorial (later renamed Ajitgarh) to honor those who died during the revolt, highlighting its symbolic importance as a reminder of the courage and the beginning of India’s fight for independence.
**News Article:**
**Delhi Telegraph: Where India’s Freedom Struggle First Whispered**
**Delhi, July 18, 2025** – In the heart of Delhi, the site of the old Telegraph office stands as a silent testament to a pivotal moment in India’s history. On May 10, 1857, this unassuming building became the conduit for the first news of the Sepoy Mutiny in Meerut, marking the beginning of a long and arduous journey toward independence.
According to historical accounts, as the sun rose on that fateful Sunday, Major Charles Todd, the British commander at the Delhi Telegraph office, awaited news from Meerut. The message received via the telegraph, operated by Eurasian signallers William Brendish and John Pilkington, was brief and dire. Sepoys in Meerut had rebelled, refusing to salute the British crown.
“We must leave office. All the bungalows are on fire, burned down by the sepoys of Meerut,” the urgent message relayed to Ambala read. “Mr. Todd is dead, I think…We heard that nine Europeans were killed.” This transmission is believed to be the last from the office before it was overrun.
The message, travelling along copper wires, carried not just news of a local uprising but the nascent hope of freedom. As The Hindu’s MetroPlus section highlighted today, this event “lit the fire of mutiny awakening the people to the path of independence.”
Barely 100 metres away, the Mutiny Memorial, originally built by the British in 1863, later renamed Ajitgarh in 1972, serves as a physical reminder of the conflict. Today, it honors those who fought and died in what the British termed a rebellion, but Indians recognize as a crucial step towards self-rule.
The Delhi Telegraph office, now a historical landmark, remains a powerful symbol. It whispers of a time when revolution wasn’t a roar of cannons, but a flicker of hope transmitted through copper wires, bearing the weight of a nation about to awaken. Not every revolution rages, some start as a whisper through copper, bearing the burden of a people poised to rise.
First Piper 