अंग्रेजों के द्वारा बड़ी तेजी से भारतीय रियासतें हड़पी जा रही थीं। इस लूट-खसोट के दो परिणाम हो रहे थे। पहला परिणाम हिन्दू नरेशों द्वारा अपने राज्य खोने के रूप में था और दूसरा परिणाम मुस्लिम आक्रांताओं से भारत की मुक्ति के रूप में था। अवध की मुक्ति भी अंग्रजों की लूट-खसोट का परिणाम थी।
यदि डलहौजी ने डॉक्टराइन ऑफ लैप्स नहीं बनाई होती तो भारत की प्रजा कभी भी मुसलमानों के शासन से मुक्ति प्राप्त नहीं कर सकती थी।
सरयू एवं गंगा-यमुना के निर्मल जल से सिंचित उत्तर-भारत की सर्वाधिक समृद्ध रियासत अवध को हड़पने के लिए अंग्रेजों ने नवाब वाजिद अली शाह पर आरोप लगाया कि उसकी रियासत कुप्रबंधन की शिकार हो गई है, जनता की स्थिति खराब है तथा शासक अय्याशी में डूबा हुआ है। इसलिए अंग्रेजों ने नवाब को पेंशन देने तथा लखनऊ छोड़कर कलकत्ता चले जाने का प्रस्ताव दिया किंतु वाजिद अली शाह ने यह प्रस्ताव स्वीकार करने से मना कर दिया किंतु गोरी सरकार अवध की मुक्ति का संकल्प ले चुकी थी।
इस पर ईस्वी 1857 में कम्पनी सरकार की सेनाओं ने अवध पर आक्रमण किया। कुछ अंग्रेजों ने लिखा है कि जिस समय कम्पनी की सेना अवध के राजमहलों में घुसी, उस समय वाजिद अली शाह अपने महल में मौजूद था।
अंग्रेजों की सेना के आगमन की खबर सुनकर उसके समस्त नौकर-चाकर, बेगमें और शहजादे महल छोड़कर भाग गए किंतु वाजिद अली शाह नहीं भाग सका क्योंकि तब महल में कोई सेवक मौजूद नहीं था जो नवाब के पावों में जूतियां पहना सके। चूंकि नवाब साहब को किसी ने जूतियां नहीं पहनाई इसलिए वह पकड़ा गया और उसे गिरफ्तार करके कलकत्ता भेज दिया गया।
वाजिद अली शाह के सम्बन्ध में एक किस्सा और भी कहा जाता है कि जिस समय अंग्रेजी सेना ने अवध पर घेरा डाला तब किसी ने वाजिद अली शाह को अंग्रेजों के आक्रमण की सूचना दी। उस समय वाजिद अली शाह अपने दरबार में था। उसने अपने दरबारियों से पूछा कि अंग्रेज शब्द स्त्रीलिंग है या पुल्लिंग! इस विषय पर दरबारियों के बीच इतनी देर तक बहस होती रही कि अंग्रेजों ने दरबार में घुसकर वाजिद अली शाह को पकड़ लिया।
पूरे आलेख के लिए देखें यह वी-ब्लॉग-
रोज़ी लेवेलिन-जोन्स ने अपनी पुस्तक ‘द लास्ट किंग’ में वाजिद अली शाह के चरित्र को अत्यंत विचित्र बताया है। इस पुस्तक के अनुसार वाजिद अली शाह स्त्री-लोलुपता, शतरंज और कत्थक के लिए जाना जाता था। लखनऊ की सुप्रसिद्ध नफासत और तमीज का जन्म वाजिद अली शाह के काल में ही हुआ था।
वाजिद अली शाह स्वयं घण्टों तक कपड़ों पर चिकन का बारीक काम किया करता था। कई-कई दिन तक वह रदीफ़ और काफ़िया जोड़कर शायरी करता रहता था। नवाब कई तरह का भोजन पकाने और अतिथि-सत्कार के लिए भी जाना जाता था। वर्तमान समय में विश्व भर में प्रसिद्ध अवध शैली की पाक कला का विकास वाजिद अली शाह के समय में और वाजिद अली शाह के प्रयासों से हुआ।
वाजिद अली शाह ने ‘इश्क़नामा’ शीर्षक से एक पुस्तक भी लिखी जिसमें उसने अपनी कमियों को स्वीकार करते हुए बताया है कि उसने लगभग 300 शादियां कीं और तलाक़ भी खूब दिए।
कुछ वर्ष पूर्व प्रकाशित पुस्तक ‘परीखाना’ में वाजिद अली शाह द्वारा अनेक महिलाओं के साथ रहे प्रेम प्रसंगों का वर्णन किया गया है। वाजिद अली शाह बहुत कम आयु से ही नाचने-गाने वाली नर्तकियों, खिदमतगार कनीजों और गायिकाओं के संपर्क में रहने लगा था। उनमें से कईयों के साथ उसने विवाह किए तथा उन्हें अलग-अलग बेगम के खि़ताब दिए।
वाजिद अली शाह ने हसीन बेगमों को रहने और उन्हें नृत्य का प्रशिक्षण देने के लिए ‘परीखाना’ का निर्माण करवाया था। वाजिद अली शाह का पहला प्रेम-प्रसंग केवल आठ वर्ष की आयु में आरम्भ हुआ जब उसने रहीमन नामक अधेड़ दासी से प्रेम किया। इसके बाद बेशुमार परियों और बेगमों ने वाजिद अली शाह की जिन्दगी और दिल में जगह बनाने की कोशिश की किंतु उनमें से कुछ ही ऐसी थीं जिनसे वाजिद अली को वास्तव में मोहब्बत हुई या जिनके लिए उनके दिल में खास जगह बनी और जिनके बिछड़ने पर वाजिद रोया भी!
बेगम हज़मती महल भी इन्हीं में से एक थी। उसके बचपन का नाम मुहम्मदी ख़ानुम था। उसका जन्म अवध रियासत के फ़ैज़ाबाद कस्बे में हुआ था। वह पेशे से तवायफ़ थी और अपने माता-पिता द्वारा बेचे जाने के बाद खवासीन के रूप में अवध के शाही हरम में लाई गई थी। तब उसे शाही आधिकारियों के पास बेचा गया था और बाद में वह ‘परी’ के रूप में पदोन्नत हुई और उसे ‘महक परी’ के नाम से जाना गया।
हज़मती महल को वाजिद अली शाह की रखैल के रूप में स्वीकार किए जाने पर उसे बेगम का खि़ताब हासिल हुआ। उसके पुत्र बिरजिस क़द्र के जन्म के बाद उसे हज़रत महल का खिताब दिया गया। वह वाजिद अली शाह की सबसे छोटी बेगम थी।
कहा जाता है कि जब ईस्वी 1856 में अंग्रेजों ने नवाब वाजिद अली शाह को अवध से निर्वासित किया तो नवाब ने एक ठुमरी गाते हुए अपनी रियासत से विदा ली। इस ठुमरी के बोल इस प्रकार से थे- ‘बाबुल मोरा नैहर छूटो जाय।’ इस ठुमरी की रचना भी वाजिद अली शाह ने की थी।
जब कहारों ने वाजिद अली शाह की पालकी उठाई तो लखनऊ के सैंकड़ों लोग जोरों से विलाप करते हुए लखनऊ से कानपुर तक उसके पीछे-पीछे चले किंतु बेगम हजरत महल वाजिद अली शाह के साथ कलकत्ता नहीं गई। अंग्रेज अधिकारियों से सांठ-गांठ करके वह अवध रियासत की शासक बन गई।
एक तत्कालीन लेखक ने लिखा है- ‘देह से जान जा चुकी थी। शहर की काया बेजान थी…। कोई सड़क, कोई बाजार और घर ऐसा नहीं था जहाँ से विलाप का शोर न गूँजा हो।’
एक लोक गीत में इस शोक की अभिव्यक्ति इस प्रकार की गई है- ‘अंगरेज बहादुर आइन, मुल्क लई लीन्हों।’
नवाब को हटाए जाने से दरबार और उसकी संस्कृति भी समाप्त हो गई। संगीतकारों, नर्तकों, कवियों, कारीगरों, बावर्चियों, नौकरों, सरकारी कर्मचारियों और बहुत से लोगों की रोजी-रोटी जाती रही। उस काल के भारत में अवध की रियासत भारत की विख्यात रियासतों में से एक थी।
मुस्लिम शासन से अवध की मुक्ति ईस्ट इण्डिया कम्पनी के शासन की बड़ी उपलब्धि थी। यह कार्य आसान नहीं था किंतु अंग्रेजों ने चुटकियों में कर डाला।
जब ईस्ट इण्डिया कम्पनी की सरकार द्वारा अवध के नवाब को इस प्रकार अपमानित करके निर्वासित कर दिया गया तो भारत की अन्य रियासतों के शासकों में बेचैनी व्याप्त हो गई और कम्पनी सरकार के शासन से असंतुष्ट राजा, सैनिक तथा सामान्यजन अंग्रेजों से छुटकारा पाने के लिए कसमसाने लगे। अवध की मुक्ति देखकर भारतीय रियासतों में इस तरह की बेचैनी होना स्वाभाविक था।
-डॉ. मोहनलाल गुप्ता
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