By Admin 
Chapati Movement: In early 1857, months before the start of open rebellion against the British Raj, something strange started happening across North India. The villagers started sending rotis from one settlement to another. There was no written message, no slogan and no visible instructions. Despite this, this silent circulation of chapattis had created panic in the British administration. This story is known as Chapati Movement.
How did the chapatti movement start?
It is said that this incident started in February 1857. In the villages of areas like Mathura, watchmen received some bread from unknown messengers. He was ordered to make more rotis and distribute them in the nearby villages. This method was simple but very effective. A traveler who often passed through forest areas would give chapattis to the village watchman and ask him to remake them and distribute them further. There was no explanation with the roti. Within a few days, this movement spread rapidly in Mathura, Farrukhabad, Gurgaon, Awadh, Rohilkhand and Delhi.
Faster than the British Postal Service
What troubled the colonial authorities a lot was its speed. Reports said that the chapattis would travel around 300 kilometers in a single night. It was faster than the British postal system of that time. This network seemed organized but invisible. There was no code written on the bread, no political pamphlet and no public declaration. Despite thorough investigation, the British could not understand its purpose.
British officials considered this movement as a possible secret communication system that could prepare the ground for rebellion. The then magistrate of Mathura, Mark Thornhill, described it as an experiment which gave rise to mysterious uneasiness. Its psychological impact was quite severe. The thought that thousands of villages were silently taking part in an unknown operation had spread fear at the highest administrative levels.
Was this code for rebellion?
Some people believe that chapattis were a symbol of unity and preparation for all. Passing the bread was perhaps a slight indication that preparations for rebellion were underway. Others say it served as a logistical arrangement, perhaps to ensure a supply line of food to the rest with armies linked to leaders like Tatya Tope and Rani Lakshmibai.
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